


Cinderella-Konekochan - Part I

by SonicoSenpai



Series: Cinderella-Konekochan [1]
Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-, かくりよの宿飯 | Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi | Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits (Anime)
Genre: Abuse Victims, Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Cinderella Fusion, Ayakashi, Broken Bones, Bullying, Caning, Caring, Cats, Child Abuse, Child Labor, Cinderella Elements, Come stay at my castle, Connections, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, First Meetings, Flustered Konoe, Foxes, Grooming, Hairbrush Spanking, Indentured Servant, Intimidation, Konoe as Cinderella, M/M, Magical Creatures, Male Cinderella, Master/Servant, Medical Trauma, Nine-Tailed Fox, Non-Consensual Grooming, Non-Consensual Groping, Non-Consensual Spanking, Nudity, Parent-Child Relationship, Physical Abuse, Rai OOC, Sexual Abuse, Skinny Dipping, Strapping, Tails, Tails and Ears, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Verbal Abuse, Virginity Check, ears and tails, knight in shining armor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-12 04:24:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15331677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicoSenpai/pseuds/SonicoSenpai
Summary: In this alternate universe of Lamento BTV, we meet Konoe as a young boy of 10, who is living with his father, Shui. He lost his mother at birth. Shui is a great dad, a successful and well-known traveling musician, who one day brings home a new partner and husband.Things happen.If you have a history of child abuse in your family, this story is probably not for you. But it will have a happy ending. At least, I think it will.I do not own Lamento BTV. They belong to Nitro+Chiral. Also, I do not condone child abuse or neglect. This is all fiction.This is a Lamento fan fiction. Re the reference to Bed & Breakfast for Spirits: Ginji doesn't show up till chapter 10 of this piece and isn't a prominent figure, but he provides background. However, since it is definitely Ginji and not my character, I felt like I needed to add the reference. He will also show up in the next part of this series.This is part I of at least a three-part series.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I won't be posting trigger warnings, but I will be updating tags. There is a chapter summary at the end. If I forget to post one, and you want one, send me a comment and I'll update it.
> 
> So--I lied. It looks like I'm posting trigger warnings. And there are still chapter summaries at the end of the chapters. If you noticed I've posted a chapter and I forgot a summary and you WANT one, post a comment and let me know, and I probably just forgot to include it.

The loss of Konoe’s father, Shui, was hitting him much harder than expected. He had never met his mother, but apparently, he was her spitting image. As a young kitten, Shui had done his best as a single father, but with his job as a traveling musician—the world’s greatest traveling musician—there came a point when Shui worried his son wasn’t getting enough attention.

Shui had taken a trip into the country for two weeks and brought home a new husband the year Konoe turned ten.

The husband was a lonely but masterful magician named Leaks. A melancholy cat who brought his studies with him, he would spend all day locked in his laboratory, often working for hours without food or human interaction, except for Shui and Konoe. The magician was interested in many things, but mostly in advancing his magic. Due to a mishap early on in his career, he had lost the original color of his fur, making it the unlucky color of jet black. Konoe never found out how that happened and was too intimidated to ask.

Frankly, to a 10-year-old kitten, the magician Leaks was frightening. He rarely smiled, except while in Shui’s presence and listening to his music. While Konoe’s father certainly had a way with Leaks, this gift didn’t extend to his 10-year-old son. The magician’s facial expressions were often harsh due to high levels of concentration or frighteningly joyful after a new discovery. However, the young kitten found it difficult to interpret his various mood swings.

Even at their first meeting, Konoe felt intimidated. Would this person be taking the place of his mother? Would he become like a second father to Konoe, perhaps teaching him things his own biological father had not? He felt excited, first and foremost, because of the look on his father’s face told him this was a man he could trust. It was a man his father loved. Always eager to please, Konoe excitedly greeted him as Papa Leaks, wanting to show him around the gardens, the various hiding places in the manor, and the forest paths outside the manor. 

However, Konoe’s small hand was not grasped with the same degree of enthusiasm and innocent love that filled the small kitten’s heart. And his ever-appraising gaze weighed heavily on the kitten’s shoulders. 

It really wasn’t that Leaks _disliked_ children. In fact, he was nervous when he first met his new husband‘s son, hoping that he would make the right impression. It was more that Leaks had no experience with kittens whatsoever, and because of his age or his previous experiments with dark magic, Leaks could instantly detect an innocence and purity of heart within this child, which closely matched the one of his father. Leaks feared he might contaminate it.

At their first meeting, he tried to put on his least intimidating face and make direct eye contact, which was what he thought he would appreciate if he were in the kitten’s position. However, the kitten’s reaction to him upon his arrival felt cool, almost like rejection. However, Konoe was only afraid and intimidated by this new, deep-voiced stranger who stared at him so directly and was moving so many strange and frightening things into his house only two weeks after meeting his father.

The small family had an adjustment period. In that time, the kitten made sure to respect his new father, bring him meals in the study if he didn't appear at the table, and keep track of any necessities that might make him feel more at home. Also, Shui suggested lessons for Konoe—reading and writing, math, history, the arts, and the study of nature, which Leaks was in charge of. He found his pupil eager, submissive, and willing to learn—always curious about the world around him, and it gave Leaks great joy to see knowledge come to life in him.

The small family grew to love each other and managed to get by quite well together.

Five years later, tragedy struck, and fifteen-year-old Konoe, still helpful and respectful, found himself at the graveside of his father with his father’s husband, Leaks, still reclusive, absent-minded, driven, and difficult to read. The only things the two cats had in common were their lessons and their heartbreak after losing Shui.

The next few months were difficult. Konoe ended up managing the family finances and chores, the meals and shopping, as well as the household. The things his father had done up until now were now his responsibility. Keeping himself busy, humming to himself, and making sure his adopted father was always fed—these things kept his young mind moving forward. 

On the other hand, Leaks handled things his own way. He holed up in his laboratory for days at a time, without rest, all food he received were those trays brought in by Konoe. And even those he sometimes would leave untouched. While Leaks also threw himself into his work, his heart was broken and he grieved for his lover. 

Their routine was broken one day when a second child was added to the household. Firi was a relative of Leaks who had lost his guardian and needed a new place to stay. The manor was large enough to house several cats, and Konoe was glad for the company, at least at first, especially since Firi was only a year older than him. 

Being stuck with two children in his care, he added Firi to Konoe’s lessons but ended up teaching them separately. As Firi hadn't been educated before, Konoe’s lessons would have slowed down. Teaching them separately seemed like a wise plan, especially since Konoe also prepared their meals, cleaned, washed and mended clothing, and took care of the bills.

While friendly at first, Firi soon envied the happy home life Konoe was accustomed to, as well as his loving upbringing. It didn’t take long for him to grow jealous and start wreaking havoc in this still-grieving household. He began to complain about the food, accuse Konoe of staining his clothing or stealing his belongings, starting arguments and generally trying to get his new stepbrother into trouble.

Though Firi was far behind in his studies at first, he caught up quickly, making great progress. He made Leaks very proud, especially as his relative, and loved to receive his praise. While Konoe was also a good student, possibly more diligent than Firi, he didn’t receive nearly the praise he used to. Seeing Konoe’s face reminded the magician of his lost husband, whom he still deeply loved. 

Sadness and loneliness crept into Konoe’s heart, but he maintained his cheerful attitude and care of his precious family. He took all of Firi’s pranks in stride, assuming they were meant in fun or out of frustration, and not intended to humiliate. 

* * *

To the present day.

All this changes the day Leaks loses an important four-week long experiment. Firi has been roughhousing in the laboratory instead of doing his assignment, while the magician was out for his morning walk. Konoe is cleaning the dishes in the kitchen and preparing lunch. When he hears shattering glass, he rushes to Firi’s side immediately, trying to see what might be saved from the experiment.

Leaving his dutiful stepbrother to clean up the mess, Firi runs out ahead to meet his adopted father coming home from his walk.

“Uncle Leaks, I hate to be the one to tell you this awful news, but when Konoe was cleaning in your lab today, he knocked over your precious experiment. We tried to save as much as we could—and it was an accident, of course, he meant no harm—but I wanted to tell you what happened since Konoe is so upset.”

While the loss of his experiment _was_ irritating, it wasn’t the end of the world. After all, it was something Leaks planned to repeat anyway. Although—it was unusual for Konoe to be cleaning his laboratory. Usually, he waited until Leaks asked him to do it, and Konoe never swept without permission.

Upon entering the house, Firi yells out, “Don’t worry, Konoe, Uncle Leaks is just fine. He’s confused as to why you were cleaning his office this morning since you usually ask permission first, but he isn’t mad at you about the experiments.”

Konoe mops his brow—it is an unusually warm spring day, after all—and looks up slightly confused, glancing between Firi and Leaks.

“Papa-Leaks, I’m glad you’re not upset. I was only in here sweeping up the broken glass after it fell. I didn't want anyone to get hurt.”

To his comment, Firi puts a hand to his chest and cries out as if Konoe had struck him. “What are you saying, Konoe?”

“What do you mean?” Konoe is confused, and so is Leaks, looking between the two boys.

“Are you accusing _me_ of this disaster? The disaster _you_ caused with your clumsy sweeping? After _I_ went out to lessen the blame for you? How _could_ you?!” Firi's red eyes flash with indignation, and he flips his platinum bob over his ear, a motion Konoe recognizes immediately. He does this whenever he lies.

The small blonde cat’s mouth drops open, his caramel-tipped ears twisting in confusion. “But Firi, it was _you_ who broke the glasses. You told me you were roughhousing when you accidentally knocked it over! I only came in to help clean up your mess!” Konoe tries to keep the irritated tone out of his voice. This must be another of Firi’s pranks!

Leaks walks up to Konoe, grabbing him by the chin roughly, his deep voice booming in anger.

“I _wasn’t_ angry about experiments, Konoe! But I’m _infuriated_ that the son of Shui, the most honest and authentic person I have ever known, would dare _lie_ to me about something as foolish as this!”

Leaks has never touched him when he was angry, and while Konoe is frightened, he is also terribly distressed. Trying to keep his voice even, he manages a reply.

“I’m _not_ lying. I would _never_ lie about something so trivial. I have _never_ lied to you, so why do you suspect me now?”

Leaks grabs him by the ear, and the small kitten yelps—it hurts! Konoe has never been punished like this before and fear rushes through his body. Leaks drags him into the dining room, straining his sensitive ear.

“Konoe, the only thing you have in this world is your honesty. A lie can stain your life, your home, and will bring our family to ruin. I thought you knew better!”

“B-but,” Konoe’s stammers, trying hard to think past his anger, fear, and most of all, confusion. Why would Firi lie about this? It feels like a betrayal! “I _haven’t_ lied. Things happened exactly the way I said!”

“Konoe, I hoped it would never come to this, but you need to learn when to stop. Don’t ever think that you can get your integrity back once a lie like this has passed your lips. Lying will _ruin_ you. And I cannot believe you would continue to push the blame for _your_ carelessness on your poor stepbrother!”

Looking up, he sees a yardstick in Leaks’ hand, and he lowers his ears in fear. He is afraid he might be struck. But if he admits he did it, wouldn’t _that_ be the lie?

“Papa-Leaks, I love Firi like my own brother, and I would _never_ do something like that...”

“Well, do you think _he_ would do such a thing to _you_?” Leaks returns the question.

After a small pause, he realizes he doesn't. Firi has no reason to betray him, as Konoe has treated him with nothing but kindness since his arrival. “No, I don’t, but—”

“I’m tired of your excuses. Konoe, put your hands against the table and don’t move until I say so.”

He obeys instantly. He is frightened, but he doesn't believe he deserves this treatment!

“Papa-Leaks, please—”

“Shut your mouth. The only thing that will stop this punishment is when I hear you confess your mistake and tell me what really happened.”

Suddenly, Konoe realizes he is about to be beaten with that yardstick, but since he respects his stepfather he has to comply. However, he cannot confess to something that he hasn’t done. Even as a child, Shui was very mild with him, using words rather than corporal punishment. He grips the edge of the table desperately. 

When the first few blows come down on his buttocks, thighs, and lower back, he is startled by the pain, and can’t keep from crying out. Leaks uses his full force with these blows, and Konoe fears for the safety of his person as well for the yardstick.

Tears and sobs are flowing freely by the fifth and sixth blows, and Konoe cries out, “Please, Firi, why are you doing this? Please tell the truth!”

The blows suddenly stop, and Konoe senses his stepfather approaching him angrily.

“Even _now_ you persist? You ignorant kitten. Apparently, this beating isn’t enough to get my lesson across. Let’s see what we can do to _fix_ this.”

Konoe is pulled up roughly from the table, again by his ear, making him scream in pain.

“Get undressed.”

Konoe freezes for a moment, unable to comply to such a humiliating command.

“You heard me. Strip off every last bit of clothing you have, then resume your position.”

Defeated and humiliated, Konoe unties his apron and sash, pulls off the blue shirt he was wearing, folding his clothes and setting them on the table. He steps out of his work shoes, unbuckles his belt, and removes his beige pants and underwear.

 _How am I going to get myself out of this?_ He rubs his ass and thighs, surprised he can feel heat radiating from his skin. His tail flips around nervously.

“At least you  _obeyed_ me. I’m surprised, in fact. Spread your legs a little. When you’re ready to confess, raise your right hand, and I will stop.”

Now, that ruler comes down sharply on his bare skin, a nauseating pain bursts through his lower body. He cries out with each blow, and also in between blows, loudly, sobbing with tears. The next blows come hard and fast and keep increasing in tempo.

“Please! Papa-Leaks— _Please_!” Konoe cries out desperately,

“Are you ready to confess?” Leaks still sounds angry, but his voice is even and calm.

“I can’t, I can’t do this— _please_ stop!”

Then the worst happens when the yardstick breaks in half over his thighs. Konoe is relieved, as painful as that blow was, making his legs shake, and hopes this will be the end of the beating.

Leaks again, “Are you ready to confess?”

“Please, Papa-Leaks, I really didn’t do it,” his breaths come in heaving sobs.

To his shock, before the last words leave his mouth, a leather strap, folded in half, connects to his already reddened buttocks with a frightening speed and force. He screams loudly with the sharp, fresh pain. He’s being beaten with his own belt.

“Confess, Konoe! Don’t let your stubbornness be your downfall! Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” 

The strapping keeps coming, and he is hanging off the table now, no power left in his shaking legs. The blows to the backs of his thighs hurt the most since they are the least protected. But the blows to his buttocks and back sting terribly as well. 

“Please, Papa— _please_ —I didn’t—”

The beating continues, and continues, and continues—the pain worsening, each blow lowering his ears, creeping into his calves, up into his shoulders, until he starts to feel a little numb. When his ears start to ring, his eyes fly open. Konoe sees Firi watching this shameful display with a derisive sneer.

“Confess, stubborn child!” Konoe's ears burn when he hears his stepfather yelling.

Konoe’s grieved heart breaks when he witnesses the betrayal of Firi smiling, and he allows himself to follow the grayness in his vision, passing out from the pain and strenuousness of the whipping. 

* * *

He wakes late in the evening—it’s dark outside and the house is quiet. _What did the family do for dinner?_ It’s the first question that goes through his mind. And the second, _how did I get upstairs?_

Papa must have brought him upstairs.

The image—being carried like a child, laid on his bed, carefully, tenderly—breaks his heart. Has he earned Papa Leaks' forgiveness? 

He moves to stand, realizing his skin is still bare, exposed, and terribly raw. His muscles hurt, too. He’s never suffered such a beating—had no idea what kind of rage Leaks might be hiding under that cool exterior. But he has to fix this. This is all he has, this is his _family_!

He pulls on his housecoat, covering his back carefully, and scurries downstairs, back to the study. Leaks is sitting in his favorite chair, reading a book in the low light. He glances up when Konoe enters the room. Konoe hopes for a smile, but Leaks’ face is calm.

“Please,” Konoe starts. “I’m so sorry. I need to fix this, and I don’t know how.” He kneels humbly at Leaks’ feet. “Please, Papa Leaks,” using this endearment will hopefully show his sincerity, “show me how I can fix this. I don't want to be separated like this from you.”

Leaks leans down and touches Konoe’s bowed head and gently lifts his chin.

“Little one, honesty is your most important asset. If you lose your integrity, no one will believe in you. You are an exceptional student, an asset to this household, and you must consider your behavior toward your stepbrother. Your actions have hurt him, and until you apologize to him and acknowledge your wrongdoing, I will not resume your lessons. You will continue your household chores and duties. Once your chores are finished for the day, I expect you to visit me in the study. If you confess, then you will be spared. Otherwise, daily corporal punishment is the only way to encourage you to reconsider your actions.”  

Konoe’s stomach rolls over sickeningly. The protest sticks in his throat. Looking at his stepfather, he asks in amazement, “If I confess to something I _haven’t_ done, everything will go back to normal?” He can’t imagine doing something like that.

“ _No_. If you confess to _your part_ in ruining my experiment, if you are _truthful_ , if you _apologize_ to Firi, then yes, everything may return to normal. You hold all the cards here. Now, return to your room and sleep. Tomorrow will start early for you. I don’t wish to hear a word from your mouth until your chores are complete.”

With these words, the young cat is dismissed. He returns to his room, his heart weighing heavily in his chest, his steps heavy on the stairs, his mind racing. What can he do?

He falls into bed and bursts into tears, hugging his pillow to his face, trying to silence his sobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konoe's father Shui dies when he is 15, leaving him alone in a household with his stepfather of five years, Leaks. Leaks is a reclusive and powerful magician, whose only things in common with his stepson are his love of knowledge and his love of Shui. He is currently teaching Konoe, and they are processing their grief over Shui's death separately when a new addition to the household disturbs their daily routine.
> 
> Firi is 16, a relative of Leaks, and wreaks havoc with Konoe, jealous of any attention and the loving, gentle manner in which Konoe has been raised. He plays pranks on him, which Konoe takes in stride, though Konoe is saddled with the chores. Both kittens are taught separately since Firi has never been taught before, but he is an excellent student as well, which pleases Leaks.
> 
> One day, Firi carelessly destroys an experiment in the lab and blames the accident on Konoe. While Leaks isn't upset about the experiment itself, when Konoe won't confess to destroying the experiment, Leaks is upset that it appears he is lying about it and blaming Firi, seeing that Konoe is Shui's son, and Shui was so honest. He proceeds to beat Konoe severely--until he passes out.
> 
> When Konoe wakes--in his room, since his stepfather returned him there--he is very upset and confused. He doesn't want to lie about the experiment and seeks out his stepfather. Leaks tells him that until Konoe confesses to having ruined his experiment and apologizes to Firi, he will no longer be taught any lessons by Leaks, and Konoe will be subjected to daily "corporal punishment" until he reconsiders his position.
> 
> Konoe is naturally devastated and confused and cries himself to sleep. Poor little guy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: additional beating and bone setting, child abuse and cruelty.
> 
> But there’s some good stuff, too.

The first day of Konoe’s life starts as usual. He rises early, makes breakfast for his family but doesn’t join them at the table. His place setting has been removed when he returns to the dining room, carrying the breakfast food that he has been preparing for an hour. He gets the point and eats his meal alone in the kitchen, trying not to have his feelings hurt, and trying to listen to Leaks’ and Firi’s conversation.

After he cleans the breakfast dishes, he gets to work on the chores. Starting upstairs, he straightens up the bedrooms, starting with Papa Leaks, making sure his bed is made and the sheets are perfectly fresh and straight, after airing them out, picking up any laundry and putting away any books as well as dishes from the previous evening.

Firi’s room is a disaster—clothing, books, and other items strewn everywhere—Konoe wonders how this cat can make such a mess in a day—and he makes his bed and changes his linens daily, upon his request, bringing all the laundry downstairs. Konoe keeps his own room neat, and it doesn't require any care, but he takes his laundry downstairs as well.

While Firi makes extra work for him, he doesn’t really mind. Doing daily chores keeps his mind off the fact that he feels lonely and isolated, even in his own house. He feels useful doing these things—he knows his father would be proud of his work, and proud that he is helping to run the household.

Once the laundry is hanging up in the sunshine—you never know if it may rain tomorrow—Konoe looks over the meal plans he’s made for the week and begins the lunch preparation. Ribika eat light, but he usually plans a heavier meal for lunch and then uses the leftovers to make a stew or soup for dinner, which is what Shui always did, and Leaks seems to enjoy the routine as well. It reminds him of when Shui was still alive. Somehow, it keeps Konoe’s heart happy as well. He enjoys working in the kitchen but realizes he will need to head to the market tomorrow and makes a note of it. 

As he’s working, he realizes he is working more slowly than usual. As per his usual routine, he would normally be finished with lunch by now and have time to read or relax, but today he is still in the middle of prep. His muscles are sore, and the skin on his back is very tender. It’s from the severe beating he received the day before.

He still can’t quite believe that his stepfather actually beat him. It was the first time anyone had laid hands on him in anger or even to discipline him. It was a strange event—almost dreamlike in his memory. Except for the skin that is raw and broken and his aching and sore muscles in his legs and buttocks, he would believe it was only a nightmare. He should probably treat his skin, however. 

Usually, at a time like this, he wouldn’t hesitate to ask Papa Leaks what to do—ask him how to care for the welts, ask him for a salve to heal it. But Konoe is frightened. He doesn’t know what to do—much less about his relationship with his stepfather. What has he done to disappoint him so much—and how can he fix this while still maintaining his integrity? 

All morning, Konoe has been considering taking responsibility for the event somehow. Perhaps he should lie about it, and then things will return to normal. The thought of not being able to spend time with his stepfather this afternoon, after lunch, like he has always done with his lessons, learning about the world and how it works, breaks his heart. However, there is a stubborn streak inside of him as well, and he isn’t sure he can let Firi make him admit to something he hasn’t done. If he does, what else will Firi make him confess? What will happen to his integrity? 

Like breakfast, at lunch Konoe is not permitted to eat with his family, so he eats his meal alone, listening to Firi and Leaks discuss Firi’s morning lessons. It sounds like the history of Sisa, and how the current king came to power in the nation, and why the city of Ransen in the current seat of government. Konoe longs to be part of the conversation—even if only to listen—and he finds his tail drooping and his ears have lowered.

After he is finished eating, he clears the dishes, making sure to start the dinner stew so it will be ready in time. He knows he is required to meet with Papa Leaks as soon as he is finished, and he wants to be sure that Firi and Leaks have something substantial to eat for dinner, besides bread and cheese, just in case the meeting doesn’t go as he hopes and he is unable to make dinner.

Once the kitchen work is done, he brings in the laundry, folds it, and puts it away. And then, he cleans himself up, makes a fresh cup of tea for Papa Leaks—his favorite kind, prepared just the way his father showed him—and knocks lightly on the door of the study.

“Enter,” Papa Leaks calls out. Firi should be doing his assignments now, but is probably messing around at this point in the day. 

Konoe brings the tray holding the tea and a few biscuits into the study with his ears and face lowered demurely. Privately, he has been worried that his stepfather isn’t eating enough since his father died. He worries that Leaks’ nutrition and health will decline, and Konoe couldn’t stand to lose another parent. While he doesn’t have the close relationship with Papa Leaks that he had with Shui, he loves him just the same, if only because he was so dear to his father. He places the tray on the table next to Leaks’ favorite chair and then kneels on the floor, like he did last night, keeping his posture submissive and quiet.

“Konoe, I have your lessons planned out for the next three months. I would like to continue them. You seem to enjoy them, and your progress pleases me. Your behavior yesterday confused me and was a great disappointment. I was hoping you would take this time this morning to reflect on your behavior. You’ve always been such an obedient child, very submissive. I’ve never seen behavior like this.” 

Leaks’ voice is quiet but stern, the loving, concerned tone of a parent who is genuinely worried about his charge’s behavior.

“Papa, I can take full responsibility for what happened for the experiment. I would be happy to apologize to Firi if I hurt his feelings in any way. But I cannot admit that I ruined your experiment because that isn’t what happened. I was in the kitchen fixing lunch, as per my usual routine, while Firi was in the lab, when the glasses were broken. I only entered when I heard the noise, and I assisted him in the clean-up.”

Leaks sighs heavily.

“Konoe, I expected more from you.” 

Konoe’s ears lower even further. However, he has to fix this.

“May I ask a hypothetical question, Papa?” He has always called this man Papa or Papa Leaks, while Shui was Dad or Father.

“Be my guest. Questions are the way to knowledge, as you know.”

“Suppose I were in a situation where I could lie to get out of the situation I am now. I could take full responsibility for the accident—saying it was my fault. I could make a false apology to Firi. However, in doing so, I would then tarnish my credibility. I would be lying. And Firi would be able to take advantage of me the next time something like this happened. He would think he could get me to take responsibility for anything he did. Plus, I would betray myself if I admitted doing something I didn’t do. But I _don’t_ like eating alone. I _don’t_ like missing my lessons. I _don’t_ like not being part of this family! I don’t know what I’m supposed to do to _fix_ this!”

Tears have burst from the kitten’s eyes and are flowing down his cheeks, and he is looking straight at his stepfather. This small family is all he has in his life. If he loses this, he will have nothing.

Leaks looks very cold, and he maintains his stern tone.

“Konoe, I understand what you are saying. However, there are some times, especially early in your life, when you will become so invested in the lies you tell that you start to believe them yourself. It’s still early, so you still have a chance to undo the damage you have done. I love you like my own son, Konoe. Take this opportunity to reflect on your actions and how they affect your poor stepbrother, who has never had anyone to look out for him before. He feels betrayed that he looked out for you, and then you wouldn’t confess to your own part. Frankly, because I wasn’t even upset with the incident, I fail to understand the importance of this.”

Leaks sighs again heavily.

“Stretch out your tail flat on the floor behind you. I watched you today while you were serving our food, and it doesn’t look like you can take another whipping like I gave you yesterday. Today will be something different. This will probably be more painful. If at anytime you decide you’d like to confess, raise your right hand and I will stop. All will be forgiven. Afterward, go to the river to bathe and then put this salve on your wounds. Then, you should go to your room and think of your actions.”

Leaks gets to his feet and walks to the desk, where a slim stick is waiting for him. He picks it up and holds it in his hands.

“Konoe, it pains me to do this. But you are _Shui’s_ son. You must—absolutely _must_ —keep your integrity. There is a chance that you will inherit your father’s gift of song when you come of age. If you do, you _must_ remain pure of heart. These lies—they will corrupt your soul, which will affect your ability to sing. Konoe—your father asked me to care for you and help me guide you morally and ethically. I have more experience with ethics than most cats in Sisa. You may think me unfair and cruel, but I am doing this for your own good.” 

The tears are already falling from Konoe’s eyes when he hears his stepfather’s words. There is no way he can possibly disobey at this point. He stretches out his tail obediently and stays on his knees.

The first blow comes directly to Konoe’s sensitive white tail, tipped with caramel just like his ears, which is short-haired but full and plush, thick and muscular. The blow makes the fur stand on end, and it’s a pain unlike he has ever experienced. It shoots all the way up his spine into his back, and instantly, tearing a scream from his mouth. 

Konoe has lowered his chest to the ground, gripping the floor with his claws, but he manages to keep his tail obediently stretched out behind him. Actually, at this point, the next blow is already hitting his tail, about mid-way down, and it’s equally brutal, the pain shooting up in the same, paralyzing way.

The tail is a Ribika’s weak point. At an early age, kittens learn to keep their tails up and out of the way from feet—having your tail stepped on is excruciating. But having it deliberately beaten—with a slim cane like this—Konoe had no idea. Cat’s tails can also be made to feel pleasurable sensations, since they are filled with nerve-endings, making the extra sensitive. This type of beating is reserved for the most brutal punishments.

By the tenth blow, his tail is no longer moving, and Konoe’s sobbing is constant—even between blows. He couldn’t resist the blows even if he wanted to, since his tail isn’t responding. One particularly hard blow on the tip of his tail pains him so much that the sobs break and he screams louder than he thought possible—he feels bones cracking—and even Leaks stops for a moment.

“You will not confess? Even _this_ is not enough to make you confess?”

Konoe is sobbing, his tail throbbing with pain, his spine tingling, momentarily unable to speak. He manages a single breath to say, “ _Please_ , Papa.”

Leaks looks down at the kitten cowering on the floor before him, realizing he has probably broken his stepson’s tail with this caning, and he feels terrible. What is this rage, seething in his chest? He doesn’t want this innocent kitten to fall into the lies that he himself faced at this same age. He doesn’t want Konoe to lose the innocence that he himself lost. He wants Konoe to remain like his father, Shui, just as Shui wished. And he will do anything necessary to make that happen. 

“Confess, little one.” 

“Please, Papa. I am so sorry. Forgive me, _please_ ,” Konoe is sobbing, but still submissive. He remains in position, even with his painfully and obviously broken tail. He does not try to pull away. Why is this child so obedient, so submissive, yet so stubborn? What if Leaks has chosen to believe the wrong child? The thought shoots through his mind for a moment, but he dismisses the thought immediately. It would be too awful.

There isn’t a way for Leaks to continue this beating now, with Konoe’s tail obviously broken.

“Get up, and go to the river. Don’t forget to take this salve with you.”

His legs shaking, Konoe obeys. He is hurting, dragging his tail behind him—and the tip, that most sensitive part, it is bent in a strange shape now. He leaves the study quickly, still crying quietly, and runs up to his room before departing for the lake. He needs to grab a towel in order to bathe.

When he gets to his room, Konoe seriously considers running away. He even grabs a bag and starts throwing things into it. His tail hurts so much—it is throbbing, aching, sore, painful, tender beyond belief. Before he wraps up his most precious belongings—a poem his father wrote—a song—and his father’s simple silver wedding band—he stops for a moment to examine his tail. 

The tip—it’s crooked. It’s actually hooked, almost in the shape of a U. For sure, the bones are broken. First, he needs to care for his body. He cannot run from this. Wheere would he go? He leaves his belongings on his bed and heads to the river, taking a towel and the salve with him.

The river is cool, even at this time of year. Papa has told him it’s because the water comes from the mountains around Setsura, a village of cats wit’s large size and stature, which is the heritage of the current royalty. The mountains have snow year round, and when the snow melts, it flows into this river.

This is a private area, nof far from the manor, where his father and Leaks always came to bathe together. The water is clear enough to drink and bathe in, and Konoe starts to carefully remove his clothing. It’s painful—removing any item of clothing from his body. His undershirt—when he removes it from his back—it sticks to the welts on his skin. Konoe hisses, realizing he will have to wash it before he leaves. He plans to wash the shirt in the river and let it dry, so he puts it aside.

When he removes his apron and sash, they are fine. His trousers are all right as well, but when he strips off his underwear, those are the worst. They are stuck to his tail—which is still excruciating—as well as the raw skin on his buttocks and thighs from the whipping. Konoe peels them off slowly, putting them in the pile along with his shirt.

He wades into the river, taking his clothes with him, and the water feels cool on his unbroken skin. As soon as he reaches his thighs, however, he cries out in pain, but simply ends up dunking himself in, hissing and growling as the cool water covers his tender skin. His buttocks are probably the most ruined and his back is sore, but his thighs hurt the most. He stays under the cool water not moving for a few minutes, and eventually, the water starts to soothe him.

The cold feels good on his tail, and he manages to float on his back in the river just below the surface. Konoe doesn’t enjoy being naked, but at least out here, it’s private. After floating in the chilly water—in this hot weather—he stands up. The water in the middle of the river is about waist deep, at least where he is. He needs to look at his tail.

He really doesn’t know about setting bones, but he knows his tail is not supposed to look like this. Even after sitting in such cold water, it hurts. A lot. But he has to do _something_. So he grasps his tail in his hands just below the broken part and the tip of it in his other, gently at first. He holds it underwater, staring at it, hoping it will become a little more numb. Then, he takes a deep breath.

With his exhale, he pulls his hands apart as hard as he can, straightening out his tail between then, letting out a scream of pain along with additional tears. His tail is much straighter than it was, but it’s still crooked. Now, it’s shaped more like a J than a U, but the thought of repeating that process—he just can’t do it again. He’d rather live with a crooked tail.

“That looked painful,” hearing a voice over his shoulder, Konoe’s painful reverie is interrupted. He snaps his head around, eyes still swimming with tears.

Sitting by the edge of the river is Firi, right next the pile of his clothes. His platinum hair is glistening in the afternoon sun, and his red eyes are gleaming with delight. As usual, Firi is dressed in red and black, even in the hot spring day. 

“I don’t know why you don’t just admit your mistakes, you selfish kitten. It’s part of growing up, after all,” the rather snotty voice continues.

Konoe does not understand Firi’s anger and aggression, and his heart aches to hear it. This person has torn his family—what is left of it—his very existence—to shreds, right before his eyes, and he can’t see his way out of this. 

“Why are you doing this?” Konoe’s voice sounds desperate and full of pain.

“Why? You’ve always had everything handed to you on a silver platter. Why should you have everything? It’s time for me to have something for a change. I think you should feel what it’s like to suffer. I _like_ to see you suffer. It pleases me. Plus…” Firi waves his hand. “I think your dear ‘Papa Leaks’ likes to make you suffer as well. It helps heal his grief.”

“What?” Konoe’s heart leaps to his throat. What does he mean? 

“You remind him of your father! Your very _existence_ —your presence—reminds him of Shui. You should just disappear, become nothing, become a _servant_ , become _less_ than a servant. Then, we’d all be happy again—well, all of us but you. It’s your fault he is unhappy, and he deserves to be happy. Don’t you want your precious Papa to be happy?”

“Well, of course—”

“Then do as I suggest, and keep your current course. Be our servant. Suffer through this daily discipline. It’s what Uncle Leaks needs to keep himself sane. Didn’t you hear how he spoke to me at lunch and breakfast? It was more animated than he’s been in weeks! All because you aren’t there to remind him of his beloved Shui! You won’t let him simply forget! You are _making_ him suffer. Letting him beat you is the perfect solution. It gets his aggression out, all this anger he has held onto—and then also, it keeps you out of his sight. So just submit to this. It’s the _least_ you can do.” 

Konoe’s ears are drooping as he listens to Firi, and his stepbrother turns to leave—taking all of Konoe’s belongings with him—all of his clothing and his towel.

“Firi! Wait!” Konoe cries. This cannot be happening right now. The only thing left is the salve, left on the river bank, which Firi did not take only because he didn’t see it. He can only watch from the river as the other cat departs.

He is alone, at least. That’s his only solace. And he sheds more tears. Many tears, while floating in the cool river. He thinks perhaps it might be better if he drowned.

And when he is finished crying, he swims to the side of river and pulls himself up on a warm rock, shaking off his hair and his fur.

After setting his tail, and the long soak in the water, he realizes the pain has gone down significantly, but it still throbs. He holds it in his hands and starts to groom, carefully. He is nude—and Konoe hates feeling so vulnerable—but he is alone, and this is an isolated place, so he figures he should at least try to dry himself a little. How to get back to the manor decently—that’s the next question. 

He is nearly finished grooming his tail when he hears something in the bushes on the opposite bank of the river. He gets a little spooked and looks for a place to hide. Technically, this is not part of the manor’s property. He isn’t sure whose property this is. According to Leaks’ lessons, natural resources belong to the king, and as his subject, he figures his best bet is to jump back in the water since he can’t escape or hide.

He dives in, headfirst, and then peeks his head out, coming up in the middle of the river. 

“Ah—going for a swim? It’s a perfect day for it.” The deep resonant voice sounds in his ears. 

Konoe looks up and sees a magnificent cat standing on the opposite bank of the river. He is giant compared to any cat Konoe has seen before—majestic, almost—with long silver hair to his waist, pale blue eyes that stare him down seriously—and he is dressed in hunting clothes, black and blue. As he recalls, these are the colors of the current ruling house of Ransen. 

Konoe considers this cat’s size—he’s tall and lean, like the breeds from Setsura—and he’s dressed in royal colors. He must be from the castle. Could this be part of Ransen’s lands? He should definitely be respectful, but how—if he isn’t currently wearing anything? He can’t very well bow.

“Um, yes, sir,” Konoe answers. To his surprise, the beautiful cat sits down on the river bank, and unbuckles the two swords—a longsword that looks as large as Konoe, and a dagger—he is carrying. Perhaps he is a hunter for the royal house. 

“It’s unusually warm weather for spring, don’t you think?” He has a wonderful voice and speaks kindly. Konoe is a little surprised by the sound of his voice, how it makes his body a little tingly. Maybe it’s the chilly water, but his ears are tingling, too, and they twitch.

“It is,” Konoe answers, keeping his eyes on the silver cat, who appears to be looking around the river bank.

He starts pulling off his boots. Oh, no. He isn’t going to get in the river, too, is he?

“This is a wonderful swimming area, isn’t it?” The silver cat says. “I didn’t think anyone else knew about it.” 

“Oh—ah, my father used to come here all the time,” Konoe answers. “I just live in the manor over there.” He indicates with his hand, now even more nervous about his lack of clothing.

“I see,” the silver cat says, and then he looks a little closer at Konoe’s face. “Your father—are you Shui’s son?”

Konoe’s ears perk up slightly. “Yes, sir, I am. My name is Konoe.”

“That’s right, I now remember hearing that was your name.” The silver cat smiles—and when he smiles, both his cool blue eyes sparkle warmly. His entire face lights up. What a wonder smile—he is _enchanting_ when he smiles, Konoe thinks.

After a small pause, the cat says, “I am so sorry about your father’s passing. We miss his music terribly. I only had the chance to speak to him a few times, but he seemed like such a wonderful cat, and he seemed to care for you deeply.”

“You—you knew my father?” Hearing this—now—at this time—somehow brings tears to the young cat’s eyes. 

“Yes, Shui came to the castle frequently to play. His music was like nothing I’d ever heard. It soaked into my very soul. Are you a musician as well?”

“Ah, no, sir,” Konoe feels slightly overwhelmed talking to this beautiful cat who is so at ease with himself. He has stripped off his shirt—displaying a rippling chest of muscles and is now pulling off his pants. He is turning around, his gorgeous white tail—full, lush, long-haired and bushy, swaying in a large happy arc behind him, but not wide enough to cover the muscles of his perfectly toned buttocks and legs. 

Konoe has to drop his eyes. He feels a little strange, watching this cat undress like this. He’s beautiful. He has seen other males in various states of undress—in fact, Firi makes a point to display himself every chance he gets and tries to walk in on Konoe if he is changing—but he has _never_ felt like this before. He can hear his heart racing in his ears, and he thinks that his cock is actually stiffening, even in this cold water. That has only happened in the night, during some strange dreams he’s had, and it feels... _good_. He isn’t sure what to do, so he looks down shyly and starts to back away slightly to his own shore. 

When the large silver cat turns around, thankfully, his tail covers his private bits as he wades into the river. But he smiles widely and confidently at Konoe.

“You remind me of your father, Konoe,” he says. That silver cat just said his name. Hearing his name from his mouth—it sounds so nice in his ears—it makes them tingle. It makes him feel good. And having something feel good after the past 24 hours… it feels really nice.

“Ah, mm, thank you, sir,” Konoe says, and he can feel a slight flush in his cheeks and his ears, despite the chilly water. 

“I’m Rai. You don’t have to call me sir.” 

“Rai.” Konoe says the silver cat’s name. It fits him. Elegant and dignified. It means _lightning_ —like that silver hair— _thunder_ —like the size of him—and _trust_. Trust. He learned that from Papa Leaks in one of his lessons but can’t remember which one. Why does he know this name?

He is now sitting in the river less than six feet from Konoe, immersed in the cold water himself, and he leans his head back and gets his hair wet. Every movement this cat—Rai—makes is elegant and refined. He moves like a dancer. He must be a hunter or a fighter, Konoe thinks. It’s enchanting, and it’s hard to take his eyes away.

Too late, he realizes he is staring, when Rai easily makes eye contact with him again and offers him a gentle smile.

“I suppose you don’t get a lot of visitors here. I’m sorry if I ruined your solace.” 

“N-not at all,” Konoe stammers. “I-it isn’t even m-my p-property. We j-just have always c-come here to bathe in h-hot weather.”

“So… do you mind if I ask you another question?” It’s spoken softly. 

“Not at all. My other Papa says questions are the way of all knowledge,” Konoe quotes Leaks’ favorite saying. 

Rai laughs—a musical, easy laugh. It sounds wonderful and light and tingles in Konoe’s ears, making his stomach feel a little strange, like he’s swallowed a butterfly—again. But really, he hasn’t done that in years. Well, he hasn’t done that in at least _one_ entire year, not since last summer, and it was only that _one_ time when he was chasing it.

“Is your home so warm and so close that you visit this place completely naked, or has someone perhaps played a prank on you?” 

Konoe whips his body around in the water, standing up to face the silver cat—thankful for a change that he is only as tall as he is, since the water comes up to his bellybutton.

“Wh-what? What do you mean?” He feels himself going slightly pink.

“Well, I hate to be the one to tell you, but I’ve looked up and down both this bank and the opposite, and I do not see any sign of your clothing. What happened? Did you get lost? Did someone steal your clothes?” Rai isn’t teasing. He’s speaking gently, as though he _cares_ about Konoe, and that takes Konoe off guard.

To Konoe’s complete surprise, and his embarrassment, when he tries to open his mouth to offer an explanation, he bursts into tears instead.

And then, he is terribly ashamed of those tears—immediately. He can’t be crying in front of this kind, dignified, elegant cat from Castle Ransen! He covers his face immediately, as if to push the sobs and tears back down.

However, that means he doesn’t see when the silver cat swims up to him in the river, silently. There is a gentle touch on his arms pulling them away from his eyes. Uwaa! Too close! He is too close! When Rai stands up in the water, he pulls his tail around to the front of his body modestly, Konoe can’t help noticing, since his legs are much longer, and he is exposed when he stands up in the river.

“Hush, now. Don’t cry, I’m sure we can fix it. Can you tell me what happened?” 

“N-not l-like this!” Konoe sobs. “I c-can’t t-talk to someone l-like you when I’m n-naked!” 

A soft smile spreads of Rai’s concerned face. “But, you see, I’m also naked. So doesn’t that make us even? You can talk to me, little one. I won’t hurt you, and I won’t judge.”

He brushes Konoe’s ears, and the touch is soft—and it tingles—almost an electric sensation running down Konoe’s body. 

“Come, sit and talk to me.”

“I can’t sit here. It’s too deep.”  
  
“All right then. Have you been swimming all day?”  
  
“I have.”

“I have an idea,” Rai says. Swimming over to the side of the river, he shakes out his long hair, the fur on his ears and tail standing on end—like a beautiful porcupine—and he pulls on his pants. It doesn’t occur to Konoe till later this evening—and many days after their meeting when Konoe fantasized about it—that Rai didn’t seem to be wearing underwear. 

“Come,” Rai beckons to Konoe. “We will share my clothes. And I have a place close by where we can warm up a bit, and you can talk to me there.”

Konoe isn’t sure he should go—but he grabs the salve from the other side of the river and decides to obey. There is something compelling and commanding about Rai—almost an authority about him, as if he expects Konoe to obey him, and Konoe doesn’t wish to disappoint him. When he approaches Rai, the silver cat gracefully turns around and hands him his shirt. 

“I don’t mind if it gets wet,” he says. “And it’s plenty big enough to cover what you need to cover.”

“Um,” the kindness is a little overwhelming, and he takes it with trembling hands. He turns away from Rai when he starts to put in on, and hears a sharp intake of breath when he does so.

“Wait!” Rai sounds almost panicked. He walks back into the river, with his pants on, soaking them. “This won’t work. I am so sorry. I didn’t see your back. This looks very fresh. Best not to touch your skin if possible.” 

Looking at Konoe’s blushing face, he says, “But you seem fairly shy, so how about you wear my shirt like an apron for now.”  
  
An apron? 

“I can help—”

“No, I can figure it out.”

“You don’t want the leather to touch those welts. We need to get back to my cabin. I have some things I can use to treat you. Or perhaps as a cape? Can you tie it as a cape?”

That works. He is still feeling exposed, but he has the cape over what needs to be covered, and Rai climbs out of the river, offering him a hand up. 

Konoe looks at it for a moment, unsure of what to do. When he takes it, he is instantly swept off his feet and into Rai’s arms.

“I only have one pair of shoes, and I’ll share them with you this way, all right?” 

He presses the shivering kitten to his bare chest—which is warm, even though Rai also was just swimming—and begins walking a little ways from the river, away from Konoe’s home, away from the manor. 

There’s a small cabin in the woods, and he enters as though he owns the place, and immediately sets Konoe down, face down, on the bed.

“Do you live here?” Konoe asks.

“Oh no, I just come here to relax sometimes,” Rai answers. “What are you carrying in your hands?” 

“Papa gave me a salve I should put on myself after swimming.” 

Rai gets very quiet. “Did your papa give you these wounds?” 

Konoe doesn’t answer at first. “He meant to do what was best for me, I think—” and he bursts into tears once more. 

“Hush, hush. Just let me see the salve. May I help you with this? I don’t think you can reach all of these—or any of these—yourself.” 

“Um, okay,” Konoe agrees hesitantly, but right after, he realizes that means that Rai is going to touch him. “No—wait—please.” 

“I will be gentle with you, I promise. I have seen these types of injuries before, and I know what causes them and how to treat them. Please, let me help you. I promise, I won’t try to hurt you, though the salve may sting a bit. First, why don’t you have some of this?”

Rai pulls something out of his pack and hands it to Konoe. It looks like a leaf—but one he has never seen before.

“Put it in your mouth and chew it a few times, and then let it sit on your tongue. Do not swallow it, all right?”

Konoe obeys and the taste is wonderful. It’s a minty deliciousness that zips through his mouth at first—and then quite suddenly his body feels strangely heavy and relaxed. He hears his heart pounding in his ears, however, and his own breathing is really loud. Also, that sensation he felt in his body earlier—in his lower half—feels heavier, pooling in his hips.

He tries to talk—and he can’t. What is that leaf?

Rai peers down at his face, gently tilting up my chin. 

“Is that medicine working? Do you feel heavy? Tired? A little numb?”

Konoe attempts a nod, since words do not come out.

“Then I will start applying cream. If you need me to stop—let’s see. Can you move anything or speak? Your fingers?”

He can wiggle his fingers. 

“I’ll keep my eye on your fingers. If you need me to stop for any reason, just wiggle your fingers.” 

With that, Rai strips off the cape that has been covering his body, and Konoe’s ears flush a deeper pink. He is completely exposed to this beautiful silver cat—and now, his injuries and how much he has displeased his family are on full display.

However, before the salve touches Konoe’s back, Rai’s fingers gently trace some of the wounds there.

“You were beaten quite severely, it seems, possibly with a stick and also with a strap. Your skin is raw. This may hurt more than I thought. Perhaps I should give you another leaf.”

Konoe shakes his head. 

“What?” His pale blue eyes appear at the corner of Konoe’s vision.

“—waste your medicine,” he murmurs. 

Rai’s eyes widen with surprise at the words. “I’m trying to lessen your pain, and I can get more.” He turns to his pack and grabs another leaf. “I just want to know who would do something like this to you. As soon as we are done cleaning you up, I would like you tell me what happened. This kind of beating is not one that happens in a safe household, Konoe.” 

He opens the kitten’s mouth and practically shoves the other leaf inside, and then gives him a moment. 

While they wait, he looks at the kitten’s tail, grasping it gently between his hands. Konoe winces and whines softly.

“Is your tail broken?”

A small sob confirms it.

“You were beaten until the tip was broken?”

He can’t reply.

A rumbling sound issues from the silver cat—is he growling? And then Konoe feel a tinging, cold sensation on his back, along with the gentle movements of large hands.

The salve probably would have burned without his medicine, but with it, it feels cold and then it heats slightly. There are a few parts of Konoe’s body—right where his legs and buttocks meet—which burn when the salve is applied, and he can’t help squirming. And also, his thighs are quite painful, but it might be because the effect of the leaves are wearing off.

It's applied to Konoe’s tail, as well, which makes it sticky. 

Shortly afterwards, Rai’s face lowers to Konoe’s once more. 

“Konoe, do you want me to straighten your tail for you? I could set it for you, if you like. It will hurt, very much, but then it will heal straight.”

“No more, please. I’ve already tried, and it straightened much more than it was. I’m fine. This is enough. Please.” 

Rai gets up, leaving the kitten exposed to the air, and starts to do something. Soon, Konoe realizes he is bringing food over to them both. 

“Eat. You must eat. You will not heal if you do not eat. Let me help you.” 

Cheeses, meats, bread, and fresh fruit—a sweet and sour variety that is Konoe’s favorite, kuims—and Rai feeds the kitten small bites as he lies on his stomach on the cot, watching him chew carefully. He has removed the leaves from his mouth.

They eat in silence, however. Rai has never seen a kitten so badly beaten. And this one seems gentle, sweet, and submissive. Plus insanely cute and absolutely adorable. And Shui’s son? Perhaps a future Sanga as great as his father? It irritates him to no bounds that another adult would find it necessary to beat him so severely.

After the finish their meal, he has Konoe chew on the leaves some more for the pain in his back and tail, and he goes to sleep—very soundly.

“What am I doing? I can’t remove him from his home!” 

Rai paces quietly while Konoe rests, letting him have time to recover. But he really wants to hear the story. What would make anyone want to break this poor kitten’s tail?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary:
> 
> Konoe’s first day goes as usual. He does his chores, but isn’t allowed to eat with his family. After lunch, he meets with Leaks and begs forgiveness, tries to explain what happened, but Leaks will not budge. Leaks explains that it’s his promise to raise an honest Sanga, so he must make sure Konoe tells no lies. Because Konoe cannot physically take another strapping, Leaks canes his tail. It’s even more painful than the previous beating, and he breaks the tip of Konoe’s tail—which is what finally stops it. He tells Konoe to bathe in the river and apply a salve to his wounds, reflect on his behavior, and spend the rest of the day reflecting on his behavior.
> 
> Konoe goes to the river and has his clothing stolen by Firi. he meets a handsome stranger, who bathes in the river with him, and kindly offers to share his clothing. His name is—Rai. He takes Konoe to a small cabin not far from the river and treats his wounds, feeds him, and apparently knows Shui—has heard him sing.
> 
> The chapter ends with Konoe sleeping soundly in the cabin, and Rai wondering who would treat a cute kitten so cruelly, but angsty about removing him from his home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: feels, references to abuse, treating wounds (maybe some uncomfortable nudity).

Konoe is gently nudged awake—he has been sleeping soundly for several hours. It’s dark outside, and Rai thinks he ought to hear this kitten’s story. He’s lit a lamp in the cabin, and immediately, he noticed that the kitten shies away from it.

 _Is he afraid of fire?_ While unusual, this trait is an ancient fear, passed down from their “cat” ancestors, before Ribika were Ribika, before they cooked their food with fire. While Rai has never met a cat who is afraid of fire, he can see it in the eyes of this young kitten, and in the way he holds his body, though he is trying to hide it. This kitten has suffered so much already, Rai doesn’t wish to cause him more trauma. So Rai stands up and clears some items from the table, including the lantern, and hangs it on the wall opposite the bed, hoping that will calm the kitten’s nerves. It seems to work somewhat, much to Rai’s relief.

Although, when Konoe sees how dark it is outside, he becomes anxious.

“I should be getting back,” Konoe says. “I don’t wish to keep you too long.”

“It is getting late,” Rai replies. “However, before you leave, perhaps you might tell me how you got your injuries.” Rai is still standing by the cupboard, looking through the spare clothing, looking for something to fit this kitten’s small stature. He pulls out a shirt and some breeches, which will surely be too large in the waist but may fit like trousers in the legs, and he thinks he can make them work. Perhaps with a sash?

Konoe is watching him with a slightly apprehensive look.

“You’ve lost your father recently, but perhaps you have another parent who cares for you?” Rai doesn’t make eye contact or look his way when he asks the direct question.

“Yes, Papa Leaks has been living with us since I was ten, and he sees to my education,” Konoe says, and then blows a sigh.

“Was he the one who punished you—enough to leave welts? And break the bones your tail?”

Konoe doesn’t answer, only looking down at the floor, when Rai glances his way, waiting patiently for the kitten’s response. Rai doesn’t make a sound, only waiting for Konoe to speak.

“He is trying his best. It was just a mistake. He thinks I lied. But I didn’t—I really _didn’t_! And now...” the small voice trails off, hopelessly. Pathetically hopelessly, in Rai’s opinion.

“And now?” Rai prompts gently.

“I am no longer part of the family. I do not get to _eat_ with the family. I no longer have the privilege for my _lessons_. I am to suffer _daily_ consequences until I confess to something I did _not_ do. But if I confess, I would be _lying_. And on top of that, I would also be allowing my stepbrother to get away with a _lie_. Then next time, he will take advantage of me _again_. It could be even worse, the next time. I don’t know what I should do! Should I lie, just so things go back to the way they were? But then, they _won’t_ be the way they were, even if I do get to eat with the family and get my lessons again. I will be at my stepbrother’s mercy! I don’t understand how this happened, or what I did to deserve this!”

Innocent honey-colored eyes meet Rai’s pale blue one with such disheartenment, with such desperation, yet such earnest intent, that Rai blurts, “Would you like me to _help_ you?”

Konoe sighs. “I don’t know what you could do.”

“Would you like me to intervene on your behalf?”

“Oh, no!” The kitten fluffs up his fur in an instant. That would be horrible. Leaks would _hate_ that—involving a stranger in their family affairs would only serve to increase his ire. Papa is a private person, and even speaking to Rai would probably warrant additional punishment, now that Konoe is thinking about it. He feels a sinking feeling in his chest.

“I should not have involved you in my family’s affairs. In fact, my speaking to you is probably an infraction in itself. It is _essential_ to Papa that I maintain my integrity. He says that if I am to inherit my father’s gift of music, I am to remain pure of heart, and lies will corrupt me. I must maintain my innocence, and that means I have to dig my heels in _now_ , making him understand that despite my broken bones, I really have _not_ lied. If he understands how serious I am, I think he will come around. If he is anything, he is reasonable and rational. I believe he was only swayed because my stepbrother got to him first. If Papa sees how hard I am working, I am sure he will understand and believe me.”

The confidence this kitten is expressing—the hopefulness of his voice—the feelings of his heart, which spill out from him now touch Rai to the core of his being. Rai, too, has had experience with unfair treatment in his younger days. Brought up in a strict household and made to follow strict rules of etiquette, being severely reprimanded and beaten for minor infractions, Rai recognizes the need to see the positive intentions in a parent who is acting cruelly. He worries nevertheless, however.

“Will you let me care for you? Give you some clothing? Walk you home, at least?”

He holds up a shirt, some trousers, and a sash that he thinks will work for clothing. Konoe looks confused.

“Borrow them, since your clothing was stolen. You can return them later.”

Konoe just _now_ realizes he is naked—and quite exposed, though lying on his stomach—and becomes very shy. His face lights up pink, burning all the way up his ears—another mannerism that Rai finds utterly enchanting, and he hides his smile with his hand.

“I’m sorry for not covering you, but for this type of injury, you should expose the affected skin to the air. Also, you should groom yourself as much as possible, as soon as the salve has absorbed if you can. Saliva is the best medicine to prevent scarring and promote healing. It doesn’t look like you can reach, however. Would you permit me to help you?”

“Permit you...?” The kitten looks up questioningly.

“To groom your wounds? I was going to do it while you slept, but I wanted to get your permission first. I will be very, very gentle. I will stop if it hurts, and I will be quick about it. Then, you can get dressed and I will return you to your home.”

“Like, _groom_ me? Like, with your _mouth_?” The kitten shifts around uncomfortably, and Rai again is struck with a strange pull in his chest. It’s much more than finding this kitten cute, he realizes. Could this be something like _love_ , perhaps? Love at first sight? Is there really such a thing? What is this feeling?

“Yes, with my tongue. Please, I would feel so much better, especially if you are insisting on returning to that household alone, and without my assistance. Let me do this for you, at least.”

If he is asked in this way, Konoe doesn’t really feel that he can refuse, even with as much discomfort he is feeling, so he gives a short nod. That giant silver cat is going to lick his wounds? Like—put his tongue on his back—

Rai immediately moves to the bed, before the kitten can change his mind—he is _sure_ Konoe doesn’t have any experience like this, from the look in his eyes. Starting with his upper back, Rai gently presses the small compact body against the bed.

“Relax, and lie down,” he whispers.

 _He’s going to lick my back—and my thighs—and my..._ _oh, my gods!_ A burst of panic rushes through the kitten’s body, and Rai can feel his little heart racing, since he’s wrapped his hands gently around his chest, trying to get him to lie still.

“It’s all right. I won’t hurt you. I promise. If anything hurts, please just tell me, and I will stop,” Rai’s voice is low and hoarse, and he realizes he is hard, but he is pressing his lower body against the mattress, keeping himself away from the kitten so as not to frighten him, feeling the fluttering, uncontrolled pulse of the kitten in his arms. _This is to help him heal, and nothing more,_ he reminds himself. _Get a grip!_

The kitten’s tail lashes and his ears twitch as soon as Rai’s tongue begins to gently trace the first few welts on his upper back, but he doesn’t seem to be in pain, nor does he try to escape. So Rai continues, overlapping each welt several times with his tongue, moving carefully, meticulously, making sure to use gentle even strokes.

While Konoe’s body stiffens at the first contact, his heart racing, the fur on his ears and tail bristled, once he feels Rai’s tongue moving against him, he realizes there is something almost painfully gentle and caring in being groomed like this. Nostalgic, even. His own father did this for him—when he would trip and hurt himself, Dad would lick his wounds this way, carefully, lovingly.

Before long, a soft, trusting purr rumbles compliantly from deep inside the small kitten, despite his nervousness and anxiety, and he starts to relax into Rai’s touch. His breathing becomes even and slows down, and he allows this gentle care, even as Rai’s tongue moves lower on his body. He can feel soft, silver hair draping over him as Rai moves lower—and he wonders briefly what it would feel like to run his fingers through it.

Rai is pleased by the kitten’s relaxation—he’s so submissive and compliant that it frightens Rai a little. What _else_ might he be able to do to this cute, adorable, compact little body?

 _No! This is only for the sake of his care!_ Rai scolds himself strongly. _He is just a kitten_. _He hasn’t even gone through his first heat!_ However, Rai decides that he _will_ be keeping an eye on Konoe from now on—his interest is definitely piqued.

Konoe starts to shiver when Rai’s tongue brushes the welts on his buttocks, his ears going from pink to scarlet. He’s embarrassed to be seen, much less _touched_ there. His entire body shudders—from head to toe—when Rai licks a welt on his sit spot, right where legs and buttocks connect, and Konoe can’t fathom someone is licking him here—and it’s _this_ beautiful silver cat.

“Uwaa! Y-you d-don’t have t-to d-do this part,” Konoe protests.

“It’s already done,” Rai murmurs, humming softly against Konoe’s soft skin. He is amazed at the kitten’s sensitivity. These welts, which must have originally been terribly painful, seem to make the small cat shiver and tremble. Rai, who already has some sexual experience, is fascinated by his reaction. This sensitivity, when combined with Konoe’s innocence and submissive, obedient nature? It’s the perfect combination! Plus his compact stature, unique coloring, fascinating voice, and elegant way of moving—Rai has never felt so drawn to another cat before, and this isn’t even the mating season! He thinks, _What is wrong with me?_

He moves down to Konoe’s thighs, licking them gently, watching the kitten as he squeezes his knees together quite desperately.

“Little one, just relax. Have I hurt you yet?”

“Ah—no—ah,” small breathless sighs come it with the answer. He is enchanting—and the sounds from his lips— _irresistible_ —they sink into Rai’s ears and into his heart in such an unusual way. It reminds him of Shui’s music. Surely, this kitten will inherit his father’s gift of song when he gets a little older.

 _This is for his health, not for my benefit!_ Rai scolds himself again. _I’d better hurry this along._

“Will you relax your legs for me?”

Rai is awarded immediate obedience in response to his request—which is another turn-on, which in turn shoots straight into Rai’s hips like lightning. _Shit_. The small thighs part gently, allowing Rai’s tongue to slip between them and follow the mark of the strap, which must have painfully wrapped around his poor legs.

 _I have to stop._ Again, Rai finds himself going over the same welts again and again, and while it won’t hurt the young cat, it probably is doing nothing except arousing Rai even further—and possibly the young kitten as well, and possibly confusing him.

“You did so well for me,” Rai murmurs. “You are such an obedient kitten. Here, _listen_ to me.”

Hearing praise from this beautiful cat, from behind him and below him, while he is being licked like this, it’s terribly overwhelming and arousing. Konoe doesn’t quite know what to do with himself or the heat pooling in his belly. Rai finally stops licking his legs. Konoe feels the large cat pulling himself up, and Konoe’s burning ears are licked—both of them, one right after the other, gently and tenderly.

When Konoe turns his head, he sees two pale blue eyes staring into his honey-colored ones. So beautiful—especially this close up. He is close enough to kiss those beautiful lips—and he catches himself staring at them for a moment—but Konoe wouldn’t _dare_ do such a thing. He is only being treated for wounds, of course. And he is slightly shocked that he would even _think_ such a thing and blushes for having had such a thought. (Later, he will fantasize about kissing the silver cat—and wish mightily that he had been brave enough to do it.) The silver cat’s lips curve up slightly when Konoe’s ears redden.

“ _Listen_. You are an _obedient_ kitten. You do _not_ deserve to be beaten. If you _ever_ need help—if you are being handled roughly and your parent does not understand you—please, _wait_ for me at this cabin or at the river. I will find you there. I understand you don’t wish me to become involved in your affairs. But I am worried about your safety. And I will check the river, and I _will_ come back and check this cabin. It’s regularly stocked with supplies, enough for you to live for at least a week if I am way-laid.”

Konoe can’t believe his ears.

“Why would you do something like that for me? You don’t even know me.”

“I knew your father, and he was something very special. I think _you_ are special, too. Please, come here if you ever need my help. Let’s get you dressed, little one.”

Rai gives Konoe’s tempting (and strangely over-sized) ears another lick before climbing up out of the bed and brings him the clothing he’s chosen so carefully. He turns his back to Konoe to give the kitten some privacy, almost casually, but Konoe appreciates it—especially since he is now quite aroused. Rai is pulling on the shirt Konoe wore from the river—and Rai can still smell the honeyed-scent of the young kitten on it. He can’t have had his first heat yet—Rai knows—and he feels a little guilty for feeling so passionately about this kitten.

The kitten is still barefoot, however. He cannot walk home barefoot. Rai is pretty sure he isn’t going to _like_ his plan, but he doesn’t really care at this point.

As soon as Konoe is dressed, Rai picks up several more of those leaves Konoe was chewing and tucks them into the front pocket of the borrowed shirt.

“In case your tail is sore, chew some tonight to help you sleep, or save them in case you need them later.”

Konoe’s eyes light up—the silver cat has shared his precious resources—that wonderful medicine—with him.

“Are you sure that’s all right? It works so well. What if you need it?”

“It’s fine. Just take it.”

Rai also straightens the shirt collar and pulls up Konoe’s breeches a little higher on his waist, tying them with the sash, so they won’t fall down. Konoe feels a little like a child when he does this, but at the same time, he feels very well cared for—more cared for than he has since his father was alive.

“There, that’s not bad. These colors suit you quite well, don’t they? Perhaps you were born to be a member of the royal household, Konoe.”

Konoe looks down and blushes, and Rai—he will remember that blushing face for the rest of his life.

“Let’s go.”

Konoe starts to walk toward the door, but before he can get outside, he is swept off his feet, making a small noise of protest as the large cat easily picks him up in his arms.

“Again, only one pair of shoes. Let’s share my boots again,” Rai murmurs, as he inhales Konoe’s sweet scent at his ears, feeling the kitten tremble slightly as he relaxes into Rai’s chest. Despite his relaxation, despite the fact that Konoe curls his face into Rai’s chest, his words are ones of protest.

“No—you don’t have to—”

“Sometimes it’s all right to let others help you, Konoe. Just let me help you.”

Konoe submits—watching his own bare feet sway slightly above the ground—as Rai carries him. His own body looks strange to him in these slightly oversized clothes, dressed in the colors of the royal household, but he loves them—blue and black—and they smell like Rai. They smell _good_. He loves being held by Rai—more than he would like to admit. He kind of would prefer to just stay like this, and not go back home at all.

Rai’s long strides feel nice—Konoe is very tired—and he is nearly rocked to sleep by the time they arrive at the manor. He realizes it’s very late, and he probably shouldn’t go in through the front door.

He is set down gently, and he gazes up into the pale blue eyes that seem to glow in the moonlight. Rai’s silver hair is beautiful in the low light as well—majestic and flowing. Konoe thinks Rai looks like a prince—his very _own_ prince. He smiles softly, and whispers, “Thank you.”

Rai returns the smile and leans down, lifting the kitten’s chin gently. He plants a chaste kiss on Konoe’s lips—just one, with his mouth closed, also very, very difficult for Rai to control since he would really like to do so much more. But even this simple soft kiss makes the kitten’s eyes fly open in surprise and delight.

The silver cat says, “You’re welcome. I’ll be coming to check on you later. Just be careful. And remember—the cabin is _yours_ to use—your safe haven— _anytime_.”

Konoe blushes fiercely from the kiss, ( _adorable_ , thinks Rai) lowering his face, and rushes to the back of the house, using the service entrance. This way, he will be sure not to bother anyone with the lateness of his arrival.

He needn’t have bothered, however—both Leaks and Firi have already retired for the evening. All he has to do is climb the stairs to his room and crawl into bed. He stays dressed in the borrowed clothes. They smell like the silver cat. And he is still quite sore, so he takes one more leaf into his mouth from his pocket and chews it, the minty sensation spreads instantly through his mouth. Relaxation and pain relief extend into his limbs and his tail, the incessant throbbing pain of his poor crooked tail is much better.

This allows him to drift off to sleep, and he dreams of silver hair fluttering in the wind and a pair of pale blue eyes watching him intensely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rai wakes Konoe up from his nap once it's dark outside, wanting to know the story behind his beatings. Konoe gives him the gist but doesn't want him to interfere.
> 
> Instead, Rai offers Konoe some care--caring for his wounds--yes, he licks them, which both cats are not surprisingly aroused by--I mean, come on people, you can't just go around licking people, Rai!--and providing him some clothes that are much too big for him, and then offering to walk him home. He also offers him cabin to him--saying, come anytime, it's always stocked with supplies, and I'll check to see if you're here if you need help.
> 
> Konoe is quite touched. Additionally, Rai carries him home, despite Konoe's half-hearted protests, and Konoe allows him to do this. He sneaks in the back door and goes to sleep wearing Rai's clothes, both cats fantasizing about the other. Awww.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: more trouble-some times with Leaks, child abuse, non-con exam, really unpleasant groping, strapping, hairbrush spanking and caning.
> 
> God, I'm sorry, Konoe. I really do love you.
> 
> And with the post of this lovely chapter--I have a family reunion this weekend, so I'll be reading stuff in the bathroom on the phone. I mean--I won't be online this weekend. It's hard to write this shit when my family is hanging around! :)

The following week is a living hell for the kitten, and by the end of the seventh day of chores in his new life as the servant of his family, eating his meals separately, not being allowed to continue his lessons, and being subjected to a variety of corporal punishments, Konoe’s tender heart is reaching despair.

He tries to put a smile on his face when he brings Papa Leaks his favorite tea and biscuits, setting them next to the chair on his study, but he feels dread in his stomach.

“What do you have to say for yourself, kitten?”

Konoe can’t remember ever hearing Papa Leaks use such a harsh tone with him, nor sounding quite so disappointed with him before, and his ears twitch with fright. Has something else happened?

“I-i-i’m sorry?” He asks, tentatively, daring to peek his eyes up at his stepfather.

Before the kitten can process what has happened, his father’s hand comes down across his relaxed cheek and mouth, bringing tears to his eyes and pulling a soft utterance of shock and pain from him.

Konoe tastes blood in his mouth, touching his fingers to his swollen lips. He has never been hit in the face before—and not like this—backhanded, without warning. What was that for?

Tearfully, he stares up at his Papa, dropped shoulders, drooping ears, trying to suppress his sorrow. He waits silently to hear how he has disappointed him.

“Firi has told me what you have done.” There is anger in Leaks’ voice— _true_ anger—which is scarier still than the calm with which Konoe has suffered through the previous week of daily punishments. His heart rate picks up dramatically, for he knows he hasn’t done anything, meaning Firi may have made up another lie.

Konoe sighs softly, and with that sound, his ear is immediately grabbed.

“Don’t you sigh at me like that!”

“Ah!” Konoe nearly screams in pain. “Please, I apologize! I’m sorry!”

“I’m giving you a chance to confess! Take it now, or you will regret it,” Papa Leaks is growling softly under his words.

Konoe’s body shivers. _Confess_? To what? What could he have done that would have offended Firi? He wracks his brain. The more his thoughts race, the more panicked he gets, the more he feels like a mouse caught in a trap. Since his tail was broken, his corporal punishments have been severe, but not as bad as that first day. He has had his palms caned, was spanked by hand, was made to stand in the corner holding two pails of water without moving for 30 minutes. He is terrified now.

The tears in his eyes—and in his heart—finally spill over.

“Please, Papa, I do not know. I can’t think of anything I have done this week that could have offended Firi—I have been so careful—”

“If you have nothing to confess, then I am terribly disappointed.” Leaks stands up with a flourish and stalks over to his desk before returning to the cowering Konoe. “I want to know when this little liar _also_ became a thief.” 

_A thief?_

“I-I have stolen n-nothing—” Konoe protests, but Leaks has something in his hands.

“Where did these come from?”

Konoe’s heart stops—and his breath catches in his throat. Before his eyes, Leaks is holding the shirt, breeches, and sash Rai lent him. He has been sleeping with the clothing—in his bed—holding them tightly to his nose and against his chest—often waking with the clothing tangled around him, sometimes after rather surprisingly sordid dreams involving the silver cat. 

Where did he get those? Did Firi go through his room? Go through his belongings? And not just that—Konoe _hides_ them—he actually _hid_ them under his mattress. How could Firi have found them, just like that?

When he looks at his stepfather’s face, it’s furious.

“Boy, I know you’ve missed some of your lessons, but do you understand _whose_ house colors these are? I will ask you again, _where_ did you get these?”

Konoe cannot bring Rai into this. How will he be able to get out of this? But he will never lie, either. So for now, he keeps his silence.

“Kitten!” Leaks barks and the sound makes Konoe jump in fright. “There are public lashings for thieves in this kingdom! Especially for those who steal from the royal house! What are you _thinking_? Are you trying to bring your family down with you? Use what little brain you have, foolish child!”

“I-I d-didn’t steal them,” Konoe whispers.

“You didn’t? Are you going to tell me that a member of the royal household simply _gave_ you clothing as fine as this? Then _what_ , pray tell, did you do for him in _return_?” Leaks can’t keep the derision from his voice—and the idea, the very _idea_ that Shui’s son would be _selling_ himself at such a young age—how could he even _know_ about such a thing? Of course, a castle hunter might have corrupted him, seduced him with pretty words and promises of love—wasn’t Shui the same? Otherwise, where else would Konoe have learned such a thing? He merits so much more than the taps on the wrist Leaks has been giving him. He needs to know this is _much_ more serious. 

“Papa, let me explain,” Konoe’s eyes fill with tears. “Please, let me tell you what happened! Please!”

“Oh, you have my _full_ attention, boy!” Leaks is yelling now.

Cowering on the floor, craving the touch of Rai’s clothing—Konoe wants nothing more than to touch the soft fabric, feel it against his nose and face—relishing its comfort—but he doesn’t dare reach from them. He takes several deep breaths and tries to speak.

“When you sent me to the river, last week, to care for myself, Firi found me there. He teased me and stole my clothes—and my towel—everything.”

“Your stepbrother would never do such a thing to you, not while you were injured,” Leaks states matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t think he would either, but he did. I was left alone, in the middle of the river with nothing but your salve for my wounds. A cat from the royal house found me.”

“And what _exactly_ did you do to him—what did you let him do to _you_? Where did you let him touch you??” Leaks is furious—imagining another cat coming across this innocent beauty— _Shui’s_ innocent beauty—and corrupting him, full of rage and anger.

“It wasn’t _like_ that, Papa! He found me crying in the river, and he offered to share his clothes with me. He brought me back to a small cabin in the woods, shared his medicine and food with me, helped care for my wounds, and sent me home with these clothes, saying I could return them later. Nothing happened!”

Leaks goes very quiet.

“Did you tell him what happened?”

“No. I told him I was fine, and I asked him not to interfere. He doesn’t know.”

“But he knows where you live?”

“Yes—”

“You got an _outsider_ involved with our family affairs, child!” Leaks barks. “And I don’t believe that he would simply _give_ you clothing for nothing! Why? If you did nothing for him, _why_ did he give you clothing?”

“He was just kind—”

“Konoe, don’t be naive. _No one_ in the royal house is kind. That’s _not_ how they are raised.” A flash of anger shoots through Konoe’s eyes—which Leaks doesn’t miss—when he hears those words. It raises Leaks' suspicions.

“He said he’d heard my father sing and thought he was something special. He wanted to help me because I am Shui’s son,” Konoe says desperately.

“Yet, you brought him to our _home_? And why, if _nothing_ happened, were you _hiding_ these clothes under your mattress? Did he _touch_ you, Konoe?”

“N-no,” Konoe hesitates slightly—because in fact, Rai did touch him, and _intimately_ , while caring for his wounds. Intimately enough so Konoe can’t stop thinking about it.

“Are you lying to me _again_? _Where_ did he touch you?”

“H-he-he-he j-just cared for my _welts_ , that’s _all_!” Konoe protests. “H-he was s-s-so kind, I didn’t think it w-was wrong—”

“It was _very_ wrong to involve a stranger in our affairs! Konoe, have you seen him since then?”

“I haven’t.” Truthfully, he wanted to see Rai again, very much, but Konoe hadn’t had a chance to get away.

“You will _not_ be seeing him again. Do you understand?”

“But Papa, he is just a friend!”

“I will _not_ have another cat meddling in our affairs!” The phrase is barked loud enough to make Konoe cringe in fear. “Get to your feet. You are about to learn what happens to kittens who involve strangers in their problems. It will be a lesson you will not soon forget.”

“B-but n-nothing h-happened—”

“Get to your feet! If I have to force you to obey, things will be much worse for you.”

Konoe gets to his feet, keeping his face down and his body tense. This is so much worse than the worst case scenario he’d imagined.

“Unbuckle your belt, drop your trousers, and lean over the edge of the armchair.”

Konoe obeys, feeling his ears burn with shame.

“Your underwear, too.”

A small hesitant growl issues from his throat as he complies, but he wiggles out of his underwear, letting them fall to the floor. Rai’s clothes are piled in a heap on the seat of Leaks’ armchair, and when Konoe leans over the arm, he can still smell the faint scent of that beautiful silver cat. Konoe squeezes his legs together.

“No, spread your legs. You won’t be able to withstand the blows otherwise.”

A sick, nauseous feeling starts to rise from his stomach to his throat, and Konoe squirms uncomfortably. He does not think he is healed from the _last_ beating.

He feels Leaks approaching him, picking something up from the floor—right next to his body—and then he feels a hand touching the bare skin of his buttocks. Immediately, the kitten straightens his spine, looking straight down at the clothes in the chair, trying to inhale Rai’s scent from them. He wants to lean down, wants to nuzzle his face in them, get some comfort from them, but he can’t.

He feels a sudden, intrusive touch on his ass—dexterous fingers, touching his cheeks, slipping between them, prying him apart, and he tries to bring his legs together and escape the assault.

Leaks’ swats him on the ass for his disobedience. 

“Be still. I want to check if you were taken advantage of, if you let another cat use your body, or if you were telling me the truth.”

Use his body? Use... that part of his body? Use it how and for what? His ear prickle slightly and unpleasantly. What does he mean? 

Probing fingers slip between the young kitten’s cheeks, prodding around his pliant, virgin hole. As far as Leaks can tell, it’s untouched. He presses around it softly, checking for soreness, redness, tenderness—it would probably _still_ be sore if a Setsuran had taken him, before his heat, even a week later, and all the cats of the royal household—even their staff—are from Setsura. He watches Konoe’s face for any signs of recognition but sees nothing but horror and revulsion, mixed with confusion and humiliation.

Tears of shame run down Konoe’s eyes at this rough and unpleasant examination. He hasn’t been touched like this before—he doesn’t understand the meaning of the exam, and it feels like a violation, like an intrusion, and it makes him feel like he’s done something wrong.

“Please, Papa,” Konoe whispers. “I-I am s-so s-sorry. P-please, please d-don’t do this.”

Leaks roughly pushes up the shirt on his stepson’s back—and is shocked by the smooth pale skin—how much it reminds him of a smaller version of his lover, Shui. For a short moment, Leaks’ breath is taken away by his beauty. But he is confused—he knows he beat him severely, and only last week, over his back, buttocks, and thighs. Now, not even a trace is left? Not one welt?

Just a trace—here—on the child’s sit spot, and a faint mark on his inner thigh—and his tail, which has maintained its curved shape. Leaks feels filled with guilt about that, especially when he watches the tail lash in agitation—so much like his father’s did. How did this cat’s wounds heal so quickly? Perhaps—with song? Perhaps he _was_ actually treated, as he said? But who would have had the knowledge to treat him?

The marks are non-existent on his back—no scarring to be seen—the skin unmarred and beautiful, his waist defined, just like his father’s was, hips curving gently outward, more so than a usual young male’s should. Leaks admires the kitten’s youthful shape, realizing it may fill in slightly with age—he will become as enchanting as his father was—and is filled with dread. He _has_ to protect this child. He has to teach him—teach him— _what_? Teach him what _exactly_? 

Leaks catches his hands tracing the lines of Konoe’s waist and hip, searching for remaining traces from the cane or the strap.

“This is the _only_ way,” mutter Leaks, his heart filled with pain and sorrow.

“I’m sorry?” Konoe whispers. Such scrutiny—such a strange exam—it feels so wrong, it’s upsetting his stomach. He would rather have a beating than to be touched like this by his stepfather. Konoe picks up a slight sensation—a nostalgic desire—in Leaks’ heart—and it frightens him.

“The only way to keep you pure, unsullied,” Leaks mutters, still moving his hands along Konoe’s hips. A shudder goes through the kitten’s body. He feels sullied from Leaks’ touch—it is _wrong_ —he should not be touching him like this.

“Please, Papa,” he begs quietly, desperately. If he only remembers me as his _son_ —perhaps that will be enough, maybe he will stop...

“What happened to the welts on your skin?”

“I was treated. The cat from the royal household, who was kind to me, he lent me his clothes, he treated me. He said he had experience with this kind of thing.”

“They could not have disappeared in a week, even if treated. There are only very faint traces left. What happened? Have you been _singing_?”

Has he? Been singing? He hums to himself while working—doing his chores, but singing—

Another sharp slap, right to his sit spot shocks him out of his reverie. Konoe tried to squeeze his legs together, but Leaks forces them back apart. It’s humiliating.

“I asked if you have been singing.”

“Uh, um, in the kitchen, and when I do my chores, yes, I sometimes hum or sing to myself.”

“Show me.”

Right now? Like this? Again, bent over a chair, vulnerable, naked, Konoe hesitates, but another sharp slap to his sensitive sit spot warns him Leaks is serious.

“ _Show_ me.”

 Konoe clears his voice and tries to brush his tears away. He lowers his face to the clothing on the chair—somehow, thinking of Rai helps him focus, making him feel good—and he starts to hum to himself. A soft purr comes over his body like it always does, and he feels relaxed, even when naked and vulnerable. His song takes him to another world, another place. It soothes his heart.

As sometimes happens when Konoe sings, he hallucinates a light that looks like the melody he is singing, which envelopes his body. This time, it wraps around him like a blanket—no—not like a blanket. More like the soft touch of Rai’s gentle grooming, because that is what Konoe is imagining. It fills his heart with joy and peace.

“This is...” Leaks is amazed.

Konoe is a _Sanga_. Not just a musician, not just a magical musician like his father, but a _Sanga,_ a musician whose songs are imbued with magical power! _Who_ did the child meet in the forest? Was it a Touga, perhaps one looking for a bond? Setsura is known for breeding them by the dozens, powerful fighters, skilled hunters with awesome strength, a force to be reckoned with, some powerful enough to take on demons even without the help of a Sanga. If Konoe’s gift were to be discovered—he would certainly be valuable.

But he would be taken from Leaks.

And Konoe is all Leaks has left of Shui. Even as frustrated as he is with the child—as stubborn as he is in persisting with this dishonesty—Leaks cannot fathom a world without Konoe in it, without his cheerful face, his warm smile, his “Papa Leaks,” his favorite tea. Yet—if he is lying, he should not be _able_ to sing. _Not_ like that. For the Sanga relies on the purity of his heart and soul to communicate his heart’s desire through song. So how is the child able to sing now? 

Filled with anxiety, Leaks makes an impulsive decision. Regardless of Konoe’s song, he has disobeyed by bringing an outsider into the family affairs. He may or may not have stolen from the royal house—but in any case, having a member of the royal house involved now means that surely, their eyes are on Konoe. They will soon know of his power and he is at risk. Konoe must be taught a lesson and a harsh one.

“Child,” Leaks murmurs, finally releasing his waist. Konoe’s song stops.

“Papa?” So hesitant, and still eager to please. Obedient. Submissive. And dangerous.

“You _may_ have been given those clothes, and treated for your wounds, but _you_ brought an outsider into our family affairs. This will not do. It is a _serious_ offense. And because you now are in possession of clothing in the colors of the royal household, you could be marked as a thief, and subjected to a much more painful and public punishment, which would isolate our family from society.”

“Papa,” Konoe’s ears are lowered submissively, and he is speaking very quietly. “I-I am s-sorry, and I-I will p-pay for m-my m-mistake. I do not wish to bring shame to our house.”

“You will. Prepare yourself, but do not dig your claws into my chair, please. Keep your legs spread.”

“Yes, sir,” Konoe’s voice drips with tears. He thinks he is prepared for the first blow, expecting the sharp narrow piercing pain of the cane, but it’s the strap. It licks precisely around his sensitive and relaxed buttocks, right where the fleshy part meets his thighs, and the snap of the leather leaves a stinging welt in its wake, making his knees tremble.

The sound was just so loud, making his ears twitch, and he screams in pain. He instantly pulls his thighs together, but Leaks commands, “Keeps your legs spread, child.”

Sobbing uncontrollably after just the first blow, Konoe slides his feet apart, forcing his trembling knees to relax. Painful—so painful—so p-

Another blow—to the top of his buttocks now, tearing another scream from his throat. Again, Konoe’s legs squeeze together in pain.

“Child, spread your legs.”

The pain rushes through his body toward the front of his hips, aching in his groin, and before he is even situated, another two blows come down with the strap—wrapping around his upper thighs. One of the blows finishes with the end of the belt wrapped around his upper thigh, twisting toward the inside, less than an inch away from his balls. He winces in pain, and grunts from the wind that is knocked out of him and a revolting, nauseating shudder that courses through his body.

“Your legs, Konoe,” Leaks reminds him.

After the tenth strap, Konoe knees are pressed together tightly and he wordlessly lowers his face against the chair, ass pushed back into the air, his tail lashing violently, painfully. But he cannot spread his quivering legs.

“Child!” Leaks is annoyed now, taking a moment to find the thickest book in the library he can find.

He forcibly bends Konoe in half over the armrest so his ass sticks out behind him again, then presses the book between his knees.

“Hold this book between your legs for the duration of your punishment, or I will start again.”

Terror shoots through his small body at the thought of having to begin his strapping anew. And the book is so heavy he can hardly hold it up—it takes all his concentration. When the strap comes down on his ass, he nearly lets the book fall to the ground. Instead, a scream tears from his mouth.

“Papa, _please_!” Konoe cries.

The fifteenth blow leaves another welt on his skin, and it looks beautiful. Leaks realizes he should probably switch to another implement. Taking the book from between the kitten’s knees, he returns it to the table, then pulls the kitten by the ear to a neighboring bench.

“It’s a hard lesson to learn, my child, but you must take your consequences bravely,” Leaks says, smoothing his hand over Konoe’s hot, welted buttocks, after pulling him across his lap. He can feel the kitten fighting for breath, fighting for air. He is probably expecting a mild hand-spanking now, but that isn’t what Leaks has planned.

Konoe’s eyes fly open when he feels something cool pressed against his buttocks. Just for a second, it's soothing. It’s hard, rounded, shaped flat like a paddle. A hairbrush?

Then, the volleys begin—one blow after another, at a fast pace and speeding up—slap, slap, slap—making his round buttocks dance and shiver, covering them fully from top to bottom, from the center to the outside, including his cheeks, his sit spot, and his sensitive thighs. The burning increases, the stinging increases, making him cry out loudly and sob in spite of himself.

As the brush spanking goes on—endlessly—Konoe can’t breathe—he is crying loudly and helplessly—his ass burning hotly and painfully—but he tries hard not to struggle or escape. The one time his hands fly up to protect his sensitive thighs, Leaks pulls them roughly and pins them against his lower back, which makes him arch his back and present himself even more thoroughly—and makes his ass even more lovely, Leaks thinks, almost heart-breakingly. 

The swats to his thighs are applied swiftly and forcefully aimed for the inside of his thighs, making him part them and relax into the punishment more—forcing him to submit, forcing his obedience—which Konoe does, willingly—desperately—and begging pleas drop from his lips.

“Papa, _please_ , Papa, I’m so sorry, _please_!” But he doesn't beg for mercy, he doesn't ask for Leaks to stop or go easy on him.

Konoe was ashamed of his nudity earlier, ashamed of the probing, humiliating exam, ashamed of this humiliating spanking—but now, all he wants is to _please_ Papa Leaks and make him _stop,_ anything to make him stop!

Tears are coursing down his cheeks, and he is desperate and at his limit. But Leaks can feel once the kitten finally relaxes and submits his body to the beating, and that’s when he stops.

“Stand in the corner,” comes the commanding voice. “Hands behind your head.”

Konoe so much wants to rub the pain away from his ass and his thighs, but he isn’t permitted. His stomach cramps painfully as he stands in the corner. He is so ashamed.

“Remain standing there like that till I say you can move.”

Leaks needs to let him recover before he can cane him. But cane him he will. Treachery is not something Leaks takes lightly, and the kitten _will_ learn this lesson today.

Within a few minutes, Firi enters the study with a question about his assignment, and Konoe can feel eyes on him. It’s humiliating. Leaks watches with some curiosity—so the kitten is mortified so easily? This is good to know.

Leaks excuses himself to his lab for a moment—checking on Firi’s assignment—leaving Firi and Konoe, and Konoe freezes when he feels Firi’s breath on his ear.

“Your ass is such a pretty color, Konoe, pink just like your ears!”

Konoe doesn’t speak. He feels something pressing against him from behind. Is it the hairbrush?

Slap—a small sound comes out of Konoe’s mouth—he wasn’t expecting it—and he hears Firi purring.

“Aww—it’s so cute and round.”

Smack—“All swollen like this.”

Smack—“Hot to the touch.”

Smack—“Like you could burn me.”

Smack—“Maybe I should see you in the night and we can play a little bit, Konoe.”

Smack—Konoe hisses, and he turns around to try to grab the hairbrush from Firi’s hands—just as Leaks walks back in the study.

“Rebellious child!” Leaks yells, making Konoe’s ears lower miserably. “I told you to stand in the corner with your arms over your head. Haven’t you learned _anything_ after all this? Perhaps you’d prefer an _audience_ this time?”

“Papa, no, _please_ ,” Konoe’s drooping ears and lowered eyes look miserable.

“Hands against the wall, now.” Papa is so cold and angry, he hardly recognizes his voice, but Konoe obeys.

“Please, Papa, I can’t—”

“Then you _should_ have obeyed me!” Leaks roars, making the young kitten flinch, tears flowing freshly.

“Yes, sir,” he sobs miserably, but still, he submits. He obeys without question.

The blows from the cane rain down against his sensitive flesh—swollen from the hairbrush and welted from the strap. Sharp, stinging pain, precise from the rattan cane. It clears Konoe’s head but sends fresh tears sliding down his cheeks. He feels his legs losing power, his knees about to buckle, and he snaps and locks them together so he doesn’t collapse, digging his claws into the wall.

In addition to the pain is this horrible humiliation—Firi’s red eyes crawling over his body—he can _feel_ them crawling over his skin. _Disgusting_.

Konoe feels his lunch rising in his throat—and he’s afraid—very afraid he may lose it. He raises the fingers on his right hand, ever so tentatively.

“Papa, please,” his voice hoarse through the tears and sobs.

The beating slows and stops, and he can hear his stepfather actually panting in the background. Is he giving him that much of a workout? 

“I-I think I’m going to be s-sick,” Konoe says, mortified.

“Aww, are you that embarrassed, little brother?” Firi asks, and Konoe flinches when he feels a soft hand reaching out to touch his swollen ass. “Wow—it’s actually hot!”

“Get yourself to the river,” Leaks growls. “Leave those clothes where you found them, and do _not_ speak to that cat again. You are not to involve anyone else in our family’s affairs! Do you understand me?”

Won’t he be able to at least say goodbye? Thank him for his help?

Konoe’s jaw is grabbed firmly, and he finds himself staring into his stepfather’s fiery eyes. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Y-y-yes, sir,” the response is immediate and submissive. Obedient. Again. Despite that beating, the child has not rebelled. Is he perhaps still pure of heart? _What if I made a mistake?_

 _What if Firi is the one who lied? Am I driving my last connection to Shui into a corner?_ Leaks examines Konoe’s face carefully. His eyes are full of tears and an earnest desire to please. Leaks feels slight disgust—with himself—and contempt for Konoe. _A fool. A fool like his father was, for loving such a one as I._

“Go. Firi, you will remain here, in my study.”

“What?” Firi whips around, eyes full of disappointment.

“We have your assignment to discuss.”

That cheers up the young cat mightily, and he preens with the attention, watching as his half-naked younger stepbrother wobbles unsteadily to pick up his clothes and scurry up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konoe has a very, very bad week. And at the end of the week, the worst day yet.
> 
> When he brings Papa Leaks his daily tea--and goes in for his daily discipline--Firi has discovered the royal house clothing that Konoe has been sleeping with (and hiding under his mattress) for the past week. He wants to know when this little liar has also become a thief since thieving from the royal house is a big deal.
> 
> When Konoe insists that he was given the clothes by a friendly stranger, Leaks flips his shit, wanting to know what the hell Konoe did--where he let the stranger touch him, say--in order to get such nice clothing. Konoe is a little convicted since he has been having pretty intense dream about Rai grooming him for the past week, but it isn't what Leaks expects. Leaks subjects him to an exam--assuming that even a week later, he probably would still be pretty sore if a cat from the royal house (all from Setsura) had fucked him since he still hasn't even been in heat yet. Then Leaks starts realizing some strange similarities between Konoe and Shui, which Konoe picks up and gets all wigged out about--super uncomfortable and even more awkward. But since Konoe's welts are healed--pretty much all the way, in just a week--way too fast--Leaks asks if Konoe has been singing. He has, and demonstrates--and shows his gift as a new Sanga. He can heal himself with song.
> 
> Leaks flips his shit again, freaks out that the royal house might know that there's a Sanga--Shui's SON in fact--at his house and that he might be taken from them. So he beats the shit out of him to get him to obey. Konoe suffers beautifully--a strapping, a hairbrush spanking, and then standing in the corner, while Firi strolls in to ask about an assignment he's working on in the lab. Firi even gets a few swats in while Leaks steps out and then gets to watch--since he gets Konoe in more trouble--when Konoe gets caned.
> 
> Konoe is sent to the river to clean up and then made to return the other cat's clothing, forbidden to speak to him again. He is devastated and confused, of course. He does not understand that he is a Sanga, BTW.
> 
> (Don't worry, I'll bring Rai into this next chapter.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: more nudity and grooming.

The kitten makes his way back to the river on unsteady legs, carrying his pack with him. In the pack, he carries the clothes he borrowed from Rai, a towel and a package of salve he had received from Papa. The tears are mostly dried on his face, but his eyes are red, and he cannot wait to get to the river.

However, he dreads meeting the silver cat. He has decided that he will wait for him, meet him in person, thank him for his help, and explain that he will not be able to see him again. Konoe’s already broken heart breaks, even more, when he thinks of the sorrow ahead of him. 

Even after he bathes his burning and raw skin in the river, however, Rai is nowhere to be seen. So the kitten finishes his bath, carefully dries himself and gets dressed, and decides to try to find the cabin. 

There is a trail on the other side of the river bank, which he follows. If there weren’t a trail, Konoe would never be able to find it—since he is terrible with directions. He shouldn’t even be allowed to call himself a Ribika—he is _that_ bad with directions.

He finds the cabin empty, but he is certain the larger cat has been here recently. He smells fresh traces of Rai’s powerful, warm scent. Just briefly, he wonders how much older the other cat is. He is older than Konoe, of this, he is fairly certain, but he probably is not a full-fledged adult just yet. It’s hard to tell from his stature.

Konoe sits on the bed, wincing slightly, his skin still quite raw and sensitive. He knows he probably should keep it exposed to the air, but even while alone, he is too shy to strip off his clothing. Also, he still has to apply the salve. He knows that will help, but he decides to groom himself first. He sets his pack on the bed and removes Rai’s borrowed clothes, putting them on the pillow next to his head. He really enjoys the larger cat’s scent—he isn’t sure why, but it is very comforting to him. He buries his nose deep into the shirt, and then he removes his own shirt and his trousers, and starts grooming the welts on his thighs as best he can—at least those he can reach.

As he is working, he hums softly to himself, imagining the presence of the silver cat. He brings an image of him into the forefront of his mind, and a melody slowly fills the space of the cabin, and a pale glow fills the room. Konoe can’t reach the welts on his back or his buttocks, of course, but he isn’t frustrated. Instead, the kitten closes his eyes and moves to his tail, arms, and hands, continuing the low, soothing hum, grooming himself at a comfortable pace, finding himself exhausted and drowsy. The beating has really exhausted him—he was already tired from his chores, as well as the stress from that odd exam—Konoe stops his tongue for a moment and shivers with horror at the memory of his stepfather touching him that way—it was a lot for him to handle.

Because the kitten is absorbed in his grooming and his melody, he doesn’t hear the approaching steps of the larger cat. Rai is a skilled hunter and naturally takes silent steps while walking in the woods. He doesn’t mean to sneak around, but when he approaches the cabin in the low twilight he hears a soft melody and sees a gentle light streaming from the window.

The melody is something the likes of which he has never heard. At first, it reminds him of the songs Shui sang—it invokes a clear image—but this feels different. Instead of the song simply falling upon his ears, this melody seems to pierce his very soul with its feelings. He feels sadness, pain, loneliness, and a deep sorrow—laced with a desperate longing, a yearning—for _him_. The longer Rai listens, the more he feels like this song is calling him by name—as if the kitten is calling out his _soul’s_ name—like a cry for help in the darkness, a call for water in the desert—and it’s a call that will not be denied. 

It takes every ounce of control to not burst in through the door, gather the kitten into his arms, cover him with kisses, never to let him go—Rai simply watches and listens as the kitten grooms and sings quietly to himself, while Rai himself feels himself filled with his emotions, his heart torn asunder. Watching the kitten groom while he sings is a strange sight—it’s almost as if the kitten isn’t aware that his song is imbued with such power.

This kitten is a _Sanga_. Shui’s son—he is a Sanga—and will probably grow into Sisa’s most powerful Sanga.

Thinking thus, Rai comes to a decision. He will help this cat—he needs to do everything he can to help him. He has finally returned to the cabin—and Rai has come every day this week, disappointed by the kitten’s absence, and this is the first time Konoe has returned. Rai has also been to the kitten’s home, during the night, and has scaled the walls twice to peek in his window. He watched the young kitten sleeping soundly, tucked cozily in his bed, his adorable plush tail coiled around him, sleeping with nothing other than the clothing he borrowed from Rai wrapped around him so tightly that Rai was almost afraid he might suffocate. He seemed to use them for comfort, much to Rai’s delight.

While Rai felt bad for spying, he felt the need to make sure the kitten was all right—and he is filled with relief seeing him here—and Rai takes a quiet, sharp breath now, when the kitten turns around, showing him his back. Dressed in only his undershorts, Rai can see the young cat has been severely beaten once again. He can see welts on his lower back, slithering down past the waistband of his pants, as well as on the back of his thighs. 

 _I’ll help him again_. _He must survive—he needs to live to be my Sanga. Perhaps I can talk him into living with me at the castle._ Rai thinks this is reasonable, and he goes to the door, opening it quietly, so as not to disturb him or startle him.

However, the kitten does not hear him enter, and only stops his song the Rai appears before him abruptly, nearly jumping out of his skin with fright, bristling up his fur in that adorable way, nearly doubling in size. Rai can’t help noticing how soft his fur looks like this. His tail—it’s healing in that unique crooked shape—it’s strangely enticing. 

However, as soon as Konoe sees Rai standing there, relief covers his face, and a smile lights up in his eyes. And then—right after the smile, a pained look. _He looks pained. Why?_

“Konoe, you’ve returned! You’ve been beaten again. Will you permit me to care for your wounds? Do you need more medicine?” Rai sits down on the side of the bed, careful not to touch him, as much as he would like to. Instead, his own long-haired tail, slightly bristled from arousal, seeks out Konoe’s and coils itself around the smaller cat's gently. Rai looks at the borrowed clothing on the bed, which Konoe has been using as a pillow, hiding his smile. _Is he comforted by my scent?_ The thought pleases him to no end.

“Rai,” Konoe says, his voice sounds so nice—like honey dripping into his ears. He is a _Sanga_. Rai can hardly believe it! This small kitten—a _Sanga_! “I wanted to thank you for the clothes. And for your care of me. However, I’m afraid I cannot see you again.”

“What? Why not?” Rai can’t believe his ears.

“I was discovered, and my stepfather was upset with me for involving others in our family affairs. My stepbrother found the clothing I borrowed from you. I was accused of being a thief. And as you know, these are clothing from the royal household. If I were discovered to have stolen clothes from a member of the royal household, I would be severely punished, and my family probably would be ostracized as well.”

“But I _gave_ them to you—”

“I tried to explain that, and my stepfather said that _no one_ would give me such fine clothes for nothing. He said that I must have allowed you to… touch me or take advantage of me in exchange for such finery. He did not believe me, subjected me to a-an e-exam, and then punished me severely for allowing you to interfere. I am to return your clothing, and I am never to speak to you again.” 

 _An exam? What kind of exam exactly? What the hell are they doing to this kitten at his home, which is supposed to be a safe haven?_ Rai feels anger welling up inside of his chest.

“Konoe, this does _not_ please me.” Rai watches the smaller cat’s ear droop sadly.

“I’m so sorry, Rai. It doesn’t please me, either, but I don’t have anywhere else to go if I disobey him—”

 _Is it possible that the kitten doesn’t recognize me?_ The thought crosses his mind for the first time. Perhaps this kitten doesn’t know who Rai is?

“Konoe, do you know who I am?”

“What?” Konoe looks up at the silver cat sharply, meeting his pale blue eyes. “Of course, I do. You are _Rai_. You are a member of a royal household, a good and kind friend to me. I care about you very much, and it pains me to have to tell you these things.” He glances back down at his hands.

“I meant, you don’t _recognize_ me?” Rai insists.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Konoe replies, looking at Rai again. The silver cat is quite unusual, that is for sure. All-white cats _are_ unusual in Sisa, though it is said that the prince of Sisa is a beautiful silver cat with pale blue eyes— _wait. Wait a minute._ Konoe’s mouth drops open. “Rai—”

The silver cat lifts his eyebrows slightly, a small smile playing at his lips.

“You are not—”

“I am.”

“Y- _you? You_ are the prince?” 

“I am.”

“O-oh—I-i am s-so sorry,” Konoe instantly becomes flustered. “I have been so disrespectful. I h-had n-no idea! I _knew_ the prince’s name was Rai, but you are traveling alone—where is your retinue? Shouldn’t you have _servants_? Why don’t you travel with servants?”

“I tire of them after a while. I like to be alone from time to time, and so I come here often to unwind and get them out of my hair.”

“And apparently have your subjects treat you disrespectfully—though, you have been so kind to me—why? Why were you so kind to me?”

“You are a subject. Shouldn’t a prince care for his subjects?”

Konoe is finding it hard to speak. Of _course,_ Rai is a prince. He looks like one, he acts like one, he holds himself like one. How— _how_ could Konoe have missed this?

“Will you let me care for your wounds again? You look severely injured.” Rai’s voice softens.

“B-but I can’t let you do that,” Konoe backs away from him on the bed shyly.

“You can do something for me in return,” suggests Rai, making the young cat’s ears perk up. The exam—still fresh in his mind and on his body—flits through his mind, making him squirm. Hopefully nothing like _that_? Is that what will be expected? He didn’t know—he didn’t know cats did things like that in exchange for material goods—not until today when Papa Leaks brought it up. Although, if it’s his Majesty, he can’t exactly decline, can he? He shifts around on the bed in discomfort.

“Anything you like, your Majesty,” Konoe replies, eyes lowered.

 _Dangerous,_ thinks Rai. _He should not be offering such a thing to me._

“Sing for me,” suggests Rai. “You have a beautiful voice. Just continue your song from earlier. It makes me feel so good. And call me Rai, please.”

“All right,” Konoe agrees. "Rai," his shy voice adds softly.

“May I—or do you want to—?” Rai indicates Konoe’s remaining clothing.

“I will,” Konoe says, blushing fiercely. He can’t ask the prince of Sisa to disrobe him, nor should he be naked in front of him—and yet, here he is, disrobing fully in front of him. Is this wrong?

“And you will tell me if it hurts?” Rai asks.

“Yes,” answers Konoe, bringing the current version of Rai— _Prince_ Rai—into the forefront of his mind, turning onto his stomach for modesty and slipping out his underwear. He starts humming softly, embarrassed to be singing in front of another cat, as well as being naked—but he needs to be cared for—and he is longing for his gentle touch. He is longing to be touched by Rai. He has been thinking about this all week, if he is honest with himself.

Rai pulls him onto his side and starts grooming his lower back gently, tracing the welts with his tongue gently and thoroughly, several times over, ears twitching and his own body relaxing to the sound of the kitten’s melody. It’s different from the song he was singing earlier.

 _A Sanga is singing for me_ , thinks Rai. _Never did I think I would have the privilege._

He continues down Konoe’s body, licking the welts and stripes on the kitten’s buttocks—horrified at the pain the poor thing must have suffered. _If he were in my care, this would never happen. He would never be subjected to beatings. I wouldn’t stand for his perfect pale skin to suffer like this._

The thought of handling this precious kitten roughly makes the larger cat tremble with rage, and he has to fight to keep himself under control. He reaches to the kitten’s legs, which are covered in both stripes from a cane and welts from a strap or a belt. One leg has a welt wrapped all the way around the inside. Was the kitten restrained? How could he have taken a beating like this otherwise?

In no time at all, Rai's tongue has covered the kitten’s injuries, and then he uses the salve on the welts. Oddly, Rai doesn’t see any left-over scarring from the beatings from last week. The kitten’s buttocks are strangely hot to the touch—perhaps he was spanked with a paddle or a larger implement, but one that didn’t leave marks. 

Rai uses both hands to apply the cream, and he hears the kitten purring with the fading melody of his song. It sounds like he is singing himself to sleep. Rai has heard that the melody of a Sanga uses energy. Perhaps it was selfish of him to ask him to sing? Konoe should rest up and eat, and then— _then, we will figure out what to do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Konoe rushes to the river, bathes himself and decides to tell Rai in person that he won't be able to see him again. But Rai isn't at the river, so Konoe returns to an empty cabin, where he tries to groom himself. Rai finds him--peeking in the window at him, watching him sing, recognizing that Konoe is actually a Sanga, while he is grooming.
> 
> They have a short exchange, during which Rai sees Konoe's latest damage, and Konoe explains he won't be able to see Rai again. Rai is frustrated but realizes that Konoe perhaps doesn't realize his identity. (He's the crown prince of Sisa.)
> 
> Once he does, Konoe is really flustered and embarrassed, of course, and allows Rai to care for his wounds again, slightly afraid when Rai suggests Konoe might do something in exchange. (Konoe can't get his stepfather's words from his mind, nor the exam.) But Rai only wants Konoe to sing for him, which he does willingly.
> 
> Konoe ends up singing himself to sleep while Rai licks his wounds and then applies the salve to him. Rai lets him sleep, trying to figure out a way to bring him back to the castle with him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: references to child abuse. 
> 
> Fluffiness. A lot of tooth-rotting fluffiness.
> 
> The italicized phrases and sentences are Rai's thoughts.

The white cat’s fur is bristled now, making him look even larger than he already is. It frightens the kitten—but he isn’t going to back down.

“I-I-I can’t,” his answer is spoken in a quiet, but firm voice. “I can’t just leave my family like that!”

“He’s broken your bones! That _was_ your stepfather, wasn’t it?” Rai’s voice is unintentionally louder than he intends it to be, but he cannot stand the thought of sending this kitten—now known as a precious young Sanga—back into the abusive and greedy hands of this so-called family. “Do you call that love? Fatherly love?” Rai is all too familiar with the sentiment, and although he doesn’t mean it, his voice is laced with contempt—for the kitten’s family because it would treat such a precious creature this way— _not_ for the kitten himself.

Konoe, however, can’t tell the difference. He flinches in response the harsh tone, and his ears lower in shame.

“He is all alone, and he doesn’t know any better—”

“ _You_ are his child, Konoe, and yet you’re trying to care for him!” The kitten’s excuse is uncomfortably familiar. Rai has made the same excuse himself in the past, in his younger years. “You are not safe there! Come with me to the castle. You will be safe with me.”

Rai glances at the kitten and notices he is shivering. Is he cold? He’s already dressed. Rai doesn’t know what sorts of torture he has been subjected to at home over the past week, but the young cat has been acting strangely around him today. Hesitant, almost fearful. Is he trembling in fear now?

Reaching out his hand, he brushes the kitten’s shoulder comfortingly, and the younger cat visibly jumps. Stung by the rejection, Rai pulls his hand back as if burnt and lowers his voice.

“I’m sorry. I would never force you to leave or do anything you didn’t want to do. I’m sorry if I frightened you. It’s just—” he pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers, closes his eyes, and doesn’t continue.

A few moments of silence pass between them.

“It’s just what?” The kitten’s curiosity gets the better of him. When Rai opens his eyes, the oversized ears are pointed in his direction, eyes open wide and expectant, and that funny little tail is thumping demandingly on the bed. His tail is so different than the kitten himself. It demands when he is quiet and patient. Almost as though it betrays his true feelings, beyond the politeness and courtesy that his parent has beat into him. Such a stark contrast to the rest of the patient kitten waiting for his answer on the bed, that tail will _not_ be denied.

_It reminds me of Shui._

Rai can’t help smiling a little at the memory of that quirky musician.

“It’s just that I can’t stand the thought of you being treated unjustly—or even harshly. It fills me with rage. Konoe—your father, Shui, he was a powerful musician. That song you sang for me today—could you feel the power within it?”

“Power?” The kitten looks slightly confused.

“Yes—it was infused with power. I could feel it even before I opened the door to the cabin. You have not only inherited your father’s ability to sing. You have the gift of a _Sanga_ —the ability to grant that power to your Touga—your designated fighting partner. As such, you are an invaluable resource to this nation. I want to protect you from harm. I want—” Rai suddenly stops himself from saying he wants to be Konoe’s Touga when he sees the kitten’s expression. 

Konoe looks truly frightened now.

“What’s wrong?” Rai asks.

“N-nothing,” Konoe replies, but his tail swishes behind him agitatedly.

“You know,” Rai’s voice drops in volume, and he sits down on the bed, deliberately distancing himself from Konoe, so as not to cause him discomfort. “You’re a terrible liar. Words come from your mouth, but I just have to look at your tail to see if you’re telling me the truth or not. Right now, ‘nothing,’ is about as far from the truth as you can get, it appears.”

A beautiful, innocent blush creeps up over the kitten’s cheeks and into his ears, and he looks down at his hands. “Why are you even _looking_ at my tail?” The question is almost accusing, in a childish, pouting voice.

The larger cat barely manages to keep himself from laughing. “I’m a _cat_ —our eyes are meant to catch movement. Even if I try to deny myself, my eyes are going to be drawn to the thing with the most movement in the room. It’s instinct, isn’t it?”

Konoe deliberately stops moving his tail—as if he only now realized what a commotion it is making. He manages to keep still for 30 seconds before it starts swishing behind him again. Rai smiles again, and a small noise of frustration comes from Konoe. He violently grabs his own tail and sits on it—wincing slightly as he does so.

The broken bones have healed so much in a week—but they still pain him. Rai feels anger boiling dangerously within him.

“Stop that,” he says gently. “Let me see.” He is pretty sure the kitten won’t let him touch his tail—it’s sensitive, to begin with, and it must be excruciating when it’s been broken. But the kitten complies obediently, not looking at Rai, simply relaxing his tail in the larger cat's hand.

Rai gently brushes the fur along the tail—so plush and full—it’s truly beautiful. He must be grooming it a lot, but most likely because it hurts him.

“It still hurts you, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” a small answer, spoken away from him, eyes that refuse to meet his. 

“It has healed a remarkable amount within the week. I can’t believe it, actually. The bones are already beginning to repair themselves. However...”

“However?” Honey-colored eyes meet his own, full of concern.

“I was just going to say, it looks like your tail will heal in this shape.”

“I was afraid of that,” Konoe sighs. “I set it as best as I could, and then I was afraid of hurting it any more. I should have just let you set it for me. It used to be kind of a pretty tail, too.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?”

“I don’t think this shape is bad. It’s uncommon, but it isn’t bad. Do you still have any feeling here?” Rai brushes the tip of the caramel fur—it’s got a slightly different texture than the downy white fur on the rest of the kitten’s body—slightly thicker fur, but still silky soft.

He feels a shiver traverse the kitten’s tail from the tip to the base, beneath the fingers of his hands, which he follows with his eyes, as it seems to flow up into his back as well. He gives a little wiggle of his shoulders and looks back at Rai in surprise. His wasn't a reaction to pain, that's for sure.

“I guess the answer to that is yes,” Rai smiles again, and the kitten gets quite tense. He takes his tail back from Rai, almost shyly and moves away from him. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting so strange today.”

Konoe drops his eyes again. “I’m not sure I can say.”

“Why not? Hey—I will tell you something that might make you feel better,” Rai says, somewhat conspiratorially.

As expected, Konoe’s ears perk up, even though he doesn’t lift his face. But that tail is definitely showing interest. 

“I have a secret.”

Now those pretty eyes look up. Gold—they are gold. _They will look beautiful accented with gold jewelry and a crown,_ Rai thinks— _almost as if that precious metal was made just to accent those eyes_. Rai will shower him with gold when he is _his_ Sanga.

“What kind of secret?”

“My tail was broken once, too,” Rai replies, as nonchalantly as possible.

“Yours was? But yours is so...” the kitten sounds amazed.

“What about my tail?” Rai asks, possibly a little more sharply than he intends, as he thumps it on the bed next to him. Actually, he didn’t _intend_ to move it at all—it must be learning manners from Konoe’s tail, much to his annoyance. He stops it immediately. _How unbecoming of a prince_ , bellows a stern voice in his head.

“It’s j-just so _perfect_ ,” Konoe breathes softly, tentatively stretching out his hand to Rai’s fluffy white tail—long-haired, thick and bushy, and longer than his own. “Uwa! It’s even softer than it looks! Oh—I’m sorry. I didn’t ask. Is it okay if I touch it?” 

“Sure,” Rai says, and then swallows his discomfort. He has an extremely sensitive tail—except at that one spot, where he feels nothing at all. He clears his throat to hopefully clear away all his awkward feelings and then says, “Look here.”

He slides his tail through Konoe’s hands—about two-thirds of the way toward the tip. Rai reaches out to Konoe’s hands and squeezes them shut, enclosing his tail in between Konoe’s small fists. He’s still holding his tail gently, almost reverently, much to Rai’s delight. _He’s so cute_. Then, Rai gently slides his tail through Konoe’s hands—just about an inch—and Konoe’s eyes open wide in surprise.

“Oh, my gods! I can feel the bone there, where it healed. But it doesn’t show, not even a little bit,” but when he next looks at Rai, he has an incredibly pained look on his face. “W-was this an accident?”

Rai swallows the memory and shakes his head slowly.

“Someone did this to you??” The golden eyes spark with anger and pain, but not sympathy—it’s _anger_. Rai is slightly surprised to see that emotion there.

“It was intended to be a punishment—from someone who claimed to love me and have my best interests at heart.”

“But—but you’re the _prince_.” The rage that is coming from the small kitten is quite impressive. Rai is relieved to see it—relieved to see anything other than resignation, obedience, and submission, to be honest. Is it that he just isn’t able to stand up to his own stepfather?

“Even the prince will fall short of his father’s expectations,” Rai says simply.

“But enough to break your tail?” Konoe seethes.

“That wasn’t his intention—at least, I hope it wasn’t. As you may know, the king, my father, has long since passed. He was a large man, and at the time, I was a young kitten. I liked to think he didn’t know his strength. Today, however, I believe there is no excuse for beating kittens for _any_ reason. That’s why I don’t want to send you back home. I want you to come with me.” 

Konoe’s fur has bristled in his anger.  _I wonder, will it bristle like that when he experiences his first heat?_ Rai can’t help but wonder. Rai’s fur gets fluffier—or it has the past four seasons he’s gone into heat. Rai always thought he liked bristled fur because that’s what fighting cats look like—it's a sign of aggression. Though fur bristled in anger looks a little different than fur bristled with desire. It’s the _only_ attractive thing about the mating season, to Rai at least. Although—when this boy goes into heat for the first time, maybe that will change. He’d better stop thinking about that, but he can hardly help it with the kitten’s fluffed-out tail waving around like it is.

 _Tempting_.

“Thank you,” the kitten says is a very quiet voice. Rai waits for him to continue, but he doesn’t. So he prompts.

“For what?”

“For sharing your story. For treating my wounds. For giving me a safe place to come. For your offer.”

“But?” Rai prompts again.

The small cat on the bed looks away again, this time showing mild discomfort and hesitation, not shyness. Rai waits patiently.

“It isn’t that I don’t want your help, or that I don’t appreciate what you’ve done for me so far,” his voice is quiet but surprisingly even. “I really do—appreciate—all that.”

Rai waits patiently, catching his own tail thumping against the bed again, after the third time. He tries to relax. _Is there someone else?_ Rai looks up sharply at the thought. _There can’t be. He’s too young._ And even his own parents weren’t foolish enough to engage him to someone before he had a say-so. _Although—who knows? Who was this stepfather of his?_ Even in his research over the past week, he couldn’t find anything out about him, except that he was a reclusive magician named Leaks. And there was another boy, Firi, living with him, a year older than Konoe at the age of sixteen.

Was that bad? Digging into his private life like that? Using the resources available to him to make sure that this kitten was actually safe? Fuck of a lot of good it did, however, seeing the shape the kitten was in today. All Rai’s resources amounted to nothing.

“I will still be here for you, anytime you need me,” Rai says. “I know, your stepfather forbids it, but I will still be here if you need help. I am not asking you to choose between us, Konoe.” He is deliberately using the word “stepfather” to describe Leaks since he knows Shui would have never raised a hand to his son.

He touches Konoe’s shoulder again, and he feels the kitten flinch again, but he doesn’t pull away this time. Is he still afraid?

“Even if you decided to come with me, we could still visit your home,” Rai states. “I would come with you. I could explain to your stepfather that I need your help at the castle—”

“I think that’s the problem,” Konoe interrupts suddenly. “Papa Leaks says you can’t get something for nothing. And I’m not exactly sure what you want from me.”

 _Ho? Is that why the kitten was acting so odd? How exactly was this communicated?_ Rai wonders.

“If I took you with me to the castle, it would be to serve me as a Sanga in training. You would sing for me, and only for me,” Rai speaks softly. “Do you know of the bond between Touga and Sanga, little one?”

“Yes, Father explained it to me,” the kitten says. “It’s a spiritual, psychic, and emotional link that grows with each experience, and not just in battle. It’s often said that the strongest Touga and Sanga pairs in history have also been lovers, though.” Konoe drops his eyes shyly— _adorably_.

“They often start out as friends,” Rai says. “I have no expectations from you in that regard.” _Hope, perhaps, but no expectations._

“Then why are you treating me so kindly?” Konoe meets his gaze directly. “Papa Leaks said that no one from the royal house would be interested in someone like me, at my age, unless...”

“Unless what?”

“Unless he wanted to take advantage,” the kitten says, rather miserably.

“Take advantage? How?” Rai is interested now. He’d like to hear. _Is this about that exam the kitten mentioned? What the fucking hell was that about?_ “What did he say?”

“He said cats from your house would only be interested in me if I allowed them to touch me. And then he—” Instead of continuing, most unexpectedly, tears spring into the kitten’s eyes and slip down his cheeks.

“What?” Rai is very concerned. He suspected something wasn’t right from the moment he came in, but now—he _knows_ something happened.

“He, um, _checked_  if I had been touched or, as he said, ‘used,’ during our previous encounter.” The kitten hangs his head in shame and covers his face, which is wet with tears.

“Konoe!” Rai is horrified. _A stepfather who is this obsessed with his stepson—he cannot possibly be safe._ “He touched you? Below your tail?” Rai wants to take the kitten into his arms, but he doesn’t know if that will cause him more anxiety.

The kitten nods his head, bursting into quiet, miserable sobs.

“You did _nothing_ wrong. Listen to me,” Rai grabs the kitten’s shoulders firmly. “The way he touched you—he should never do that again. That place—that is reserved for your lovers, and only _after_ you come of age and go into heat for the first time, do you understand? No one should ever touch you like that without your permission—regardless of what they claim their intentions are. Do you understand me?”

Wide golden eyes—still wet with tears—gaze into Rai’s blue ones, the pain evident inside them, the pain of betrayal floating on the surface. He feels the pain of this little one in his own heart, and he is desperate to do something about it. Rai gently brushes Konoe's tears with his fingers and kisses the tip of his nose.

“I would never touch you without your permission. And I will never ask until you come of age and go into heat. Do you understand?”

His face looks slightly confused, which confuses Rai. _Is he worried about the grooming I did for him and my care for his wounds? Gods. What if that's what this is about? Did I go too far? Was it too much?_  Rai feels slightly ill. _Konoe has lived a sheltered life, but his father was the musician Shui, after all. Shui was not known for his close-mindedness. Surely, he would have educated his son in these matters. Unless—_

“Into heat?” comes the quiet question.

“What about it?” Rai asks, still distracted by his own anxiety. He can’t imagine a fifteen-year-old wouldn’t know what to expect since his body will be subject to it in an upcoming season—very soon. _Don’t think about it too much._

“I d-don’t know what that means.” He looks away, embarrassed.

 _Shit_ , thinks Rai, although he's somewhat relieved that's all this is about. _Is he relying on me to tell him the ins and outs of the mating season?_ Rai takes a deep breath before opening his mouth.

“Your fathers didn’t explain the mating season to you?” He asks the question gently, so as not to embarrass him any further. 

“I know there is one, but that’s about it.” The golden eyes are more than interested again, and that crooked tail is slightly fluffed up, flopping around demandingly on the bed again. If Rai were a less honorable cat, he would pop the tip of that tail into his mouth. 

“Twice a year, Ribika go into heat, during a two-week long period after the fall and spring festivals. During that time, you may notice fewer people outside, since most tend to stay indoors till the highest impulses pass them by, or until they are dealt with.”

“Impulses?” _Of course, he’d want to know about that._

“Um, sexual desire,” Rai answers, as honestly as he can, which makes the kitten blush. _Gods, that’s cute._ “Not every cat peaks at the same time during those two weeks, of course, and there are various degrees of compatibility.”

“Compatibility?” Another area in which Rai has little experience.

“Yes, in which your wavelengths match up with those of another cat. Committed partners often become compatible, and mating season is seen as a pleasurable time for them. If you are compatible, you will enter rut at the same time, and your partner will be very hard to resist. Of course, many cats do not resist, and this takes the symptoms of the heat away.” 

“What symptoms?”

“It feels like a little like a fever or the flu, aches, pains, and shortness of breath. It can vary in severity from cat to cat, but it goes away once you indulge in your desire or at the end of the season. You will probably start this season or next—around fifteen or sixteen is the usual age.”

Konoe’s wide eyes look up at Rai. His tail is flopping restlessly on the bed questioningly, but his lips remain pressed closed.

“What else do you want to know?” Rai asks, gently.

“H-have you experienced this?” 

“I have,” Rai says. Konoe waits for more, his tail continuing to press him for a more detailed answer. _That tail of his is terribly demanding!_ “It was fine. I started when I was sixteen, and so I’ve had four seasons now. I’ve only found compatible partners for two of the seasons.”

“Oh,” Konoe says, looking down, but then he looks right back up. “What do you do if you can’t find anyone compatible?”

“You can do it with someone who isn’t compatible, which gets the job done but isn't quite as much fun, or you can take care of things yourself, which is equally effective.”

“I see.” That tail continues flopping around demandingly. 

“Do you have another question?” Rai sighs.

“As a prince, aren’t there special rules for you to follow?”

“Well, there may be. But I’m the prince, and I do what I want.”

 "I see." The tail still beckons at Rai, wanting to know more, more, more.

"What else?" Rai asks.

"Um, your compatible partners..."

"Yes? What about them?"

"Are you committed to that person?"

Rai looks up quite suddenly.  _Why would he be asking that?_ _I can only think of one reason he'd want to know._ Rai's tail swishes behind him a pleased, happy arc before he answers.

"There were actually two _different_ cats. But no, I'm not. I wasn't really interested, at that time, except to make the symptoms of heat disappear." He is sorely tempted to ask why the kitten would ask such a question.

“I see.” His tail finally starts to settle down a little. A few moments pass, while Rai watches the tail resume its regular ( _enchanting_ ) rhythm. “Thank you for telling me this.”

“Konoe,” Rai says suddenly, making the small cat look up again. “You really shouldn’t let anyone touch you before you go into heat. It will be needlessly painful, and it can be harmful to your body and your development.”

The little cat doesn’t say anything.

“Won’t you consider coming with me to the castle? I will explain to Leaks about your abilities as a Sanga, and I will offer him a position at the castle if you like. The moon of light has barely set. We can go to your house right now before it gets any later!”

Konoe doesn’t speak, but he doesn’t have to. That beguiling tail moves in a wide, happy arc, and Rai knows he has won him over.

“Let’s go. At the castle, you can see him as often as you wish, but I don’t want him to be alone with you. I don’t trust him.”

"What about—”

“Firi? I will find a position for him as well. Or he can stay with your stepfather if he prefers.”

Konoe stops suddenly.

“I don’t remember telling you his name,” Konoe says, looking at Rai suspiciously.

Rai finishes pulling on his boots, then starts putting on his gear, thinking carefully for a moment on how to respond. Probably nothing less than honesty would be best if he plans to make this cat his Sanga.

“It’s the privilege of royalty to worry about their subjects, and I have many resources available to me. Now, if it were true that I climbed up and peeped in your window while you slept, just to make sure you were all right during the past week—that does _not_ fall under the privilege of the prince. That would just be me being overly concerned because you did not show your face at the cabin for the entire week.”

Konoe isn’t sure what to think of that statement. Does that mean Rai saw him sleeping? He didn’t notice how Konoe had curled up with those borrowed clothes, did he? A hot blush creeps up into his ears, and his tail droops slightly in embarrassment.

“What? You’re acting like I might have seen you doing something untoward!” Rai teases.

“N-no,” Konoe stammers. He glances at Rai and sees a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“You’re really cute when you blush, you know,” Rai ruffles his hair and opens the door to the cabin. “I wish you’d forgotten to bring your shoes again today. Do you want to just _pretend_ they were stolen?” 

“N-no. Stop it. I-I didn't _forget_ them last week,” Konoe murmurs, dodging the larger cat’s attempt to scoop him up, still unable to look him in the eye. He had _seen_. Rai had seen him sleeping with those clothes, and he is choosing not to say anything. Somehow, that’s even more embarrassing than being teased about it openly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rai and Konoe get into a bit of an argument about why Konoe can't move into the castle with Rai. Konoe is nervous because of what Leaks has told him about expectations--specifically, other cats wanting to use him--and he is naturally spooked. He's behaving a little weirdly, and Rai picks up on it.
> 
> Rai shares a broken-tail-story of his own from when he was younger before the king passed away. Konoe warms up a little bit, and then finally shares what happened with Leaks.
> 
> Needless to say, Rai flips out, saying no one should touch him like that--ever--and only with his consent after he has gone into heat the first time. Then, Rai starts to worry that his grooming Konoe possibly freaked him out, when Konoe starts acting weird and confused again. But it turns out, Konoe is just surprisingly clueless about sex (as usual--what's the problem, Shui? Have the fucking sex talk, man!), and so Rai explains it patiently.
> 
> This chapter ends with the two cats on their way to Konoe's home, where Rai will explain to Leaks that he needs Konoe's services as a Sanga in training, and also offer Leaks a position at the castle.


	7. Chapter 7

It’s rather nice to have Rai walking him home, Konoe thinks, and his heavy heart is lifted by the time he arrives home. The night breeze plays in his hair and his fur, and it’s surprisingly cool, especially for the summer. He lifts his tail as he walks, letting the breeze ruffle his fur. The moon of light is set, but the moon of shadow is barely rising and shines so beautifully on Rai’s hair and fur—it’s almost distracting to find the way back to his house.

Konoe knows Papa Leaks will still be in his study. He will have already had dinner. Usually, Konoe would be in his room recovering from whatever daily discipline he’d received, but he plans to prepare some refreshments for their guest and also for Papa Leaks. That should make the visit more friendly.

The last guest he’s hosted in his home was Papa Leaks—and that was when he first arrived as his father’s new husband, so Konoe isn’t sure how to handle company. Plus he isn’t sure how his stepfather will handle having an unexpected guest. However, Rai is the prince of the land, and it is an honor to have him in their home. So he invites him in formally, announcing his arrival loudly in the entry.

“I’m home, Papa, and I’ve brought a guest with me. We have something we’d like to discuss. May we have a moment of your time?”

Rai is quiet when he enters and has to duck his head in the doorways, which are designed for smaller cats, apparently. He wipes his boots respectfully at the door before entering. 

“Come in,” Leaks answers, his voice low and slightly distracted from behind the closed door of the study. Konoe assumes he must be reading like he usually does in the evening.

Konoe comes in after opening the door carefully, kneeling respectfully before his stepfather’s chair as he always does.

Rai follows, ducking his head at the entrance. His presence is large, and his body takes up a lot of space in the dim room. However, he has an elegance—a commanding grace—about him that instantly catches one’s attention. He looks like royalty and carries himself as such. He bows his head respectfully to Konoe’s stepfather,  much to Leaks’ surprise.

Leaks recognizes him instantly by the color of his hair and his eyes, in addition to the colors of clothing, and he climbs up out of his chair in shock, where he is relaxed and reading. He takes off his reading glasses to get a good look at the surprise visitor.

Firi is sitting on a stool beside him, also reading, shocked by his uncle’s actions. 

“Your majesty! What a lovely surprise! Make yourself comfortable,” Leaks offers Rai his chair—the biggest one in the room, and probably the only seat that will hold his large body comfortably. “To what do we owe the honor and pleasure of this visit from your highness?”

To Firi’s shock, his uncle gets down on his knees and bows before the guest, and he quickly follows suit.

“Please, let’s cast aside these formalities,” Rai replies easily with a wave of his hand. “This sort of thing is really best for the throne room, and not when I’m among my people. Frankly, it causes me some discomfort. Please, be at ease and make yourselves comfortable. Sit. You must be Leaks, Konoe’s stepfather? And you are Firi, the stepbrother?”

“Yes, yes, welcome to our humble home,” Leaks replies, pulling up another chair, unable to take his eyes off the prince. He is certainly as fine a specimen as the rumors make him out to be, with his stunning silver hair and those striking pale blue eyes. And the size of him is rather impressive! What on _earth_ is he doing here—with Konoe?

“I’ll make us some tea,” suggests Konoe, as he gets up.

“No, that’s all right,” Rai puts his hand on Konoe’s shoulder to stop him. “This concerns you as well. Why don’t you pull up a chair as well?” 

Konoe hesitates, looking confused at his father. “I usually do not sit in chairs in this room.” It’s a true statement. He has been relegated to the floor since the incident in the lab with Firi.

“Well, _I’d_ like you to pull up a chair,” Rai insists, and so Konoe obeys, hesitantly glancing in his stepfather’s direction. 

“Papa Leaks, this is the cat who helped me last week. He is the one who lent me the clothing Firi found in my chambers. He also helped treat my, erm, injuries.”  
  
Rai is watching Leaks’ face carefully, who is returning his gaze confidently.

“My son did not steal that fine clothing from you?” Leaks asks directly.

“No, they were given to him, as his clothes were stolen while he was bathing in the river,” Rai replies without hesitation. 

“They were very fine clothes,” Leaks says. “Were any, er, _services_ exchanged for the use of those clothes?”

Rai replies with a click of his tongue. “Of course not. While I think Konoe is an attractive young kitten, he is definitely too young to be engaging in that sort of thing. Additionally, I am the prince. I do _not_ barter or pay for sex.” The statement is made firmly. He figures a direct and honest response would be most appealing to Leaks.

“Why did you, a prince of the realm, help him out in such a way? He is a nobody.”

Rai sees Konoe’s ears droop and his tail drop to the floor when he is described in this way. He is amazed his own stepfather would describe this adorable kitten as a “nobody.”

“When I saw him swimming in the river, he reminded me of a musician I once heard at the castle. It turns out, he is, in fact, that musician’s son. As a prince, I actually care about my subjects—each and every one of them. When one is in need, I go out of my way to help him. Konoe needed help, and I was there, so it worked out.”

Konoe can’t help but be impressed with the way Rai is speaking. He speaks eloquently and boldly to his stepfather without being intimidated. He has such an air of dignity about him. Konoe can’t believe he didn’t recognize him as the prince he was when they first met. His ears perk up and his tail starts swaying back and forth at his words, too.

“I see.” Leaks’ voice remains slightly cold.

“I’m here to discuss a proposition. I would like to engage your stepson in service at the castle as soon as possible. Tonight, if I can,” Rai continues. “His wounds have healed since last week, and I believe I know the reason. When I came across him today, I heard Konoe singing. It is not common knowledge, but I am trained as a Touga. It is my belief that your stepson has not only inherited his father’s musical talent but also has the inborn gift of a Sanga. His song has healed his wounds over the course of the week. I felt his song myself, in fact. It is my goal to train his ability as a Sanga and pair up with him as the official Sanga of my kingdom, if it is his wish.” 

Leaks is stunned. He has suspected as much himself but hasn’t been able to confirm it. He glances at Konoe, who is looking between Rai and the hands in his lap. The kitten looks absolutely _smitten_ with the prince. His ears are tipped in the prince’s direction, hanging on every word. His eyes are wide—even his pupils are slightly blown. His tail is swishing back and forth in a beckoning motion, and it’s slightly fluffed up. He’s seen that exact look before—in his father. It _enrages_ him to see it manifested in Konoe. However, Leaks manages to control his anger.

“We have been having discipline issues with this kitten in our household. I don’t know what he has told you, but keep in mind that whatever he has said, it is only _his_ side of the story.” Leaks watches as Konoe’s ears and tail droop in shame.

“I understand that. However, from what I understand of the Sanga, he should only be able to sing if he remains pure of heart. And what I heard—and its results—were _definitely_ sung by a kitten who is pure of heart. I have never seen nor heard something like that before. As a Touga, I can confirm his power as a genuine Sanga. I understand you are a magician. Can you do the same?” 

Confusion manifests itself in the kitten, twitching ears, a twitching tip of his crooked tail. 

After a short pause, Leaks replies, “I cannot, at least, not in the same way a Touga might be able to. However, Konoe is not yet of age.” 

“That doesn’t matter. There is a long history of Sanga starting training as soon as his song appears. The sooner training starts, the stronger the pairing will be. It’s my belief that if we start Konoe’s training now, he may become the most powerful Sanga in history, especially considering who his father was.”

“I see,” Leaks concedes. This is true, and Leaks is aware of this.

“If you are concerned for your stepson’s wellbeing, I am certain I can find positions for both you and Firi at the castle as well. We haven’t had a court magician in years, and your services would be much in demand. Plus, you would have resources available to you that you can’t imagine.” At this comment, Leaks looks up sharply. “I assure you as the prince of the realm, you will all three be well taken care of. However, I would like to get this started as soon as possible, for Konoe’s sake. I am sure you agree.”

Leaks nods slowly, and Firi is stunned. He is terribly excited at the prospect of living at the castle—but _Konoe_? That little runt is a _Sanga_? That can’t be true! And paired with the _prince_? That’s like something out of a fairytale. He works hard to control his jealousy, but his pupils are narrowed to slits.

“Would you be able to give me a day to consider your generous offer? We have recently lost Shui, my dear husband and Konoe’s father, and I want to be sure this would be the right choice for us as a family,” Leaks chooses his words carefully.

Konoe breathes a sigh of relief, letting out his stress in that sigh. His body relaxes, his fur starts to flatten, his ears stop twitching, and his tail sways more slowly. 

“I understand. If you don’t mind, I will return tomorrow. We can work out the details and discuss any further questions you might have. If you would like a tour of the castle or of the facilities—of our library, our gardens, our stock rooms, and our laboratories—you’d be more than welcome,” Rai suggests. He knows exactly the types of things that would tempt Leaks. 

“That would be perfect. I will have an answer for you by then,” Leaks replies, a small smile on his face.

Konoe can’t believe it—this is _really_ happening! His ears perk up, and his tail moves in a joyful, wide arc behind him. 

“Thank you so much, Papa Leaks!” He can’t hold back his excitement, and he jumps out of his chair to hug his stepfather, who is not used to such direct affection. 

“Now, now, relax, little one. There is much to consider. This would be life changing. And you are exhausted. You should be resting. Why don’t you see our honored guest to the door and call it a night?” 

“Ah, oh. Thanks, Papa!” Konoe gets himself back under control, and he falls back in line. He’s relieved the conversation went so well.

Rai stands up and bows his head to Leaks, who also stands up respectfully.

“Thank you for your consideration and for inviting me into your home. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow,” Rai says.

“It was an honor to have you, and I thank you for looking after my troublesome son,” Leaks replies.

Troublesome? Konoe thinks. Am I troublesome? Papa Leaks thinks this of me? His ears droop slightly.

“It’s my pleasure. I find him delightful company,” Rai replies. Nodding to Firi, he says, “Good night.”

Konoe walks Rai to the door, and Rai pulls him outside with him. “May I speak to you for a moment?”

“Of course,” Konoe says.

“That went well,” Rai says quietly. “A little bit too well, in fact.” 

“I was delighted!” Konoe can’t contain his joy, and it's obvious is the delightful swishing of his tail.

“I—” Rai looks away from Konoe, which he notices immediately.

“What’s the matter? Isn’t this a _good_ thing? He didn’t get angry! I think he’s excited about the prospect of the castle’s library and resources!” Konoe says.

“Yes, but—” Rai hesitates again.

“What?” Konoe’s wide golden eyes look up eagerly. He has such pretty eyelashes, Rai thinks.

Rai doesn’t want to worry the kitten, but something didn’t feel quite right.

“Didn’t you think that was _too_ easy? Was that at all out of character for your stepfather?”

Konoe pauses for a moment, considering.

“I don’t know. We’ve never had company before, at least not that I can remember, anyway. I didn’t really know what to expect.”

“Just—be careful tomorrow. And go to the cabin if anything strange happens, okay?” Rai almost seems to implore him. He sounds concerned.

“Are you worried?” Konoe asks. 

“Just a little. I don’t want you to worry, though. You’re exhausted. You need to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow at moonset, okay?” Rai assures him. He really would like to take the kitten into his arms—and then, looking at those wide, worried eyes, he can’t resist. He embraces the kitten for a moment and then pushes his nose against Konoe’s shoulder—an act of affection between friends.

It isn’t something he does often, but he wants to reassure Konoe. And honestly, he wants to take a little of this kitten’s warm scent with him as well. Rai does have a strange feeling after meeting his stepfather. Something still doesn’t quite feel right.

Konoe delightedly returns the gesture, rubbing his nose against Rai’s shoulder as well, as much as he can reach.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispers. 

Rai watches as the younger kitten wanders back inside. He hopes he’s done the right thing, allowing him to return to his family for one more night. Tomorrow, he will be safe. After tomorrow, no one will ever hurt him again. Hopefully, since he knows he’s being watched by the prince, that stepfather Leaks will keep his hands off of his stepson tonight. He wouldn't dare touch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rai and Konoe meet with Leaks (and Firi) at Konoe's home, and the meeting actually goes surprisingly well. Suspiciously well, in fact, for Rai's taste. Rai proposes taking Konoe with him that night to start his training as a Sanga and also suggests he can find placements for Leaks and Firi. Leaks talks about Konoe's discipline issues, losing Shui, and requests a day to think it over. Rai agrees to return tomorrow for Leaks' reply.
> 
> On his way out, Rai tells Konoe to be careful, but Konoe is thrilled about how well things have gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: child abuse, non-con touching.

Konoe is in bed when he hears a soft knock at his door.

“Come in,” his soft voice calls quietly.

“Ah, my son, you’re not yet sleeping. I’ve brought you something.” To Konoe’s shock, it’s Papa Leaks, and he’s carrying a tray.

He tries to rise, but Leaks waves his hand. 

“No, no. Stay where you are, my child.” He enters the room quietly and sits down at the foot of the bed, the tray in his lap. There’s a steaming mug of something delicious on the tray, which Leaks is looking at carefully.

Konoe can’t remember the last time his stepfather has been in his room like this. Leaks looks around, and Konoe is suddenly very proud that he keeps his room so tidy.

“You keep your room quite neat, don’t you? It’s a wonderful habit. You must have gotten that from your father,” Leaks smiles softly. “When I lived alone, I had no time for such things as cleaning. Your father, however, corrected me of this behavior shortly after meeting me.” He sighs.

“Konoe, I’d like to make amends. After the prince’s visit this evening, and his confirmation that the gift of the Sanga has indeed manifested itself in you—which I myself suspected earlier today—I realize I may have been mistaken. I wonder if it’s possible that I believed Firi’s story instead of taking you at your word, after all this time. Because you would not be able to sing if you were not pure of heart, which means you have _not_ been lying to me.”

Konoe feels tears rising in his eyes and places his hand on his heart. He is very moved.

“I have been terribly mistaken, and I have been causing you pain. I am very sorry. Do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“Of course, Papa Leaks!” Konoe bursts out, tears dripping from his eyes. “I understand how this could have happened, and I completely forgive you—you and Firi both.”

“Thank you. As always, your warm heart makes up for my mistake.” Leaks reaches out to rub Konoe’s ears. “I’ve made you a special treat—hot milk with honey and lavender—which should help soothe you and sleep soundly tonight. Tomorrow, I’d like you to just rest. Do not get up early to fix us breakfast or do your chores, all right? We will get by for a day on our own. And I will discuss our plans for the prince’s offer then, all right?” 

With a warm smile, he hands Konoe the mug of warm milk. It’s delicious—reminding him of the recipe his father Shui used to make—only this one is even more meaningful. Papa Leaks has taken the time to make it himself, just for Konoe. He can’t remember Papa Leaks ever having made him anything before, other than remedies for sickness—and it just tastes extra special because of that. It warms up his lonely heart and makes him purr.

“Thank you so much, Papa.”

Leaks waits while Konoe finishes the drink and takes the mug from him, tucking him back under his covers snugly once he has finished the drink.

“You are a precious kitten, Konoe.” He strokes Konoe’s hair gently a few times, running over his ears softly, and soon, Konoe eyes close. Konoe doesn’t even have the energy to groom himself—the beverage really does work—it sends him right to sleep.

As soon as he sees that his precious stepson is sleeping, Leaks walks out of the room quickly and starts making arrangements.

Leaks loves this child in his own possessive way—he cannot allow something as precious as Shui’s son to fall into the royal household’s hands—even if it means losing him for a few years himself. 

* * *

It wasn’t exactly poison that Leaks fed Konoe—only a cursed sleeping potion. It was necessary for the night’s activities because Leaks has decided that in _no_ uncertain terms should his stepson ever be permitted to serve at the castle as a Sanga. He is indeed Shui’s precious son, and he wants to protect him. Sending him to the castle would be the _worst_ thing for Konoe—and Leaks wants to keep by his side for his own use, once he gets a little older. 

For now, however, Leaks needs to get Konoe away from that nosy prince, and out of sight and out of mind is the best method for that. Plus, with Leaks' plan, Konoe may learn from his mistake about involving others in their family issues.

During the night, Konoe has a strange dream, during which he feels like he is in a carriage, bound hand and foot, unable to move, and being jostled around unpleasantly. During the dream, while he is restrained, his mouth is also gagged, so he can’t make any noise, and he is blindfolded. He is terribly frightened—what a horrible dream this is! But he can’t seem to wake up, and the dream goes on and on.

This is, of course, no dream. Konoe _is_ , in fact, bound and gagged in the back of a carriage, currently being carted off to the city, where he has been sold as an indentured servant for a period of two years. He does not know this, however. Also—his appearance has changed due to his stepfather’s carefully crafted potion. It has dyed his ears and tail a jet black. Leaks thought this would be the best way to hide him, as well. Cats with black ears and tails are considered cursed in the land of Sisa and would never be allowed in the presence of the prince.

Eventually, the terrified kitten goes back to sleep in the back of the carriage—he is still dazed from the potion’s effects—which makes him much easier to move. While Konoe is compliant, he is a little hard to manage when frightened.

Leaks knows an innkeeper in dire need of help at his inn. This innkeeper should be reliable—he sought help from Leaks in the forest many years ago for an issue involving the black arts, and Leaks helped him for a small fee. The innkeeper was delighted to return a favor—in fact, this favor benefits him more than Leaks anyway. Leaks is fairly certain this cat will be able to take care of his stepson in a way that most other indentured servants would not be taken care of.

Konoe wakes in a small room in a dark basement of the inn, wearing a collar around his neck, which signifies his status as an indentured servant. The collar is the first thing he notices—it’s heavy and metal, uncomfortable, but not attached to anything. He has been sleeping on a cot in the small dark room. He wakes with a throbbing headache—a hangover from the drugs in the potion given him by his stepfather.

However, when he tries to touch the collar around his neck, he realizes he is still restrained, just like he was in his dream last night, and he thinks this must be a dream. He is also still bound with his arms crossed behind him and his legs bent uncomfortably and tied behind him as well. He cannot believe he has actually slept like this. So when he wakes, Konoe believes he must still be dreaming. He is unable to move or roll off the bed. Well, he _might_ be able to roll off the bed, but the floor looks hard and cold, and he doesn’t want to hurt himself deliberately.

Plus, he realizes he is dressed only in his underwear and the ropes, which are causing him quite a bit of chafing. This makes him hesitate to call for help.

He does not recognize the room, and only a few slivers of light come in at the tiny window out of his reach. This is _not_ his home.

His head still feels fuzzy, and so perhaps he is still dreaming. He must be dreaming—since if he isn’t—that would mean Papa Leaks purposely drugged him and sent him somewhere to get him away from the prince. And Rai—will Rai think he ran away? Konoe starts to panic. Was thathis only chance to get away from that house? Was that his only chance to start anew with his family, in the castle, under Rai's protection?  
  
He’d already built up a new dream—him training with Rai—possibly even kissing him at some point, if he’s honest—and watching the joy on Papa’s face when he sees the treasures at the castle—the treasures available to him at the library. All the forbidden spell books he’d never otherwise be able to discover, as well as all the fine ingredients the servants of the castle would be able to fetch for him, just waiting for him to use and learn from. And Firi—all the fine clothes he wanted! He could do anything he wanted.

Konoe’s heart feels dangerously close to breaking in two.

“Where am I?” Konoe is confused, and he actually asks the question aloud. He realizes his head hurts very, very badly—and he feels vomit rising in his throat due from the throbbing pain. Rather desperate, he looks around, and he finds a bucket right next to the cot—waiting for his use—and throws up into it violently several times.

After emptying the contents of his stomach, he feels exhausted, and he lies down again—except the door opens. 

“Ah—did my sleeping beauty awake?”

Standing the door is the largest cat Konoe has ever seen. He speaks in a soft, jovial tone, he has dark hair and a beard with small rounded ears like Rai’s. In fact, he is at least as tall as Rai, only much broader. Konoe can’t see his face or determine the color of his fur since the light behind him is silhouetting him.

Konoe doesn’t reply at first. Who is this person? Why is he here? Why isn’t he in his home? How did he even get here?

“Where am I?”

“How’s your head? You sound like you’re a little ill. Need a little treatment, perhaps?”

He doesn’t sound unfriendly, but who the hell is he?

“Who are you?”

“I’m Bardo. I’m your new employer.”

Employer? What is this?

“I think there may be a mistake,” Konoe starts.

“Nope, you’re _exactly_ what I’ve been looking for, and you are just what this place needs for serving meals and drinks at my inn.”

“I-I-I don’t understand,” Konoe’s voice is getting more agitated, slightly tearful and afraid.

“You’ve been sold off to me as a servant for several years, Konoe.”

“S-sold?! That’s a m-mistake!” Konoe cries. Sold? Papa Leaks _sold_ him? Why?

“Your stepfather was adamant to get you out of the house immediately,” Bardo replies, “and I needed help in the inn. So it worked out perfectly.”

Konoe realizes what’s happened, and he is devastated. He can’t speak, he can’t move, he can’t talk.

“Would you like me to untie you?” Bardo asks, kindly. “You need some water and something to eat. It seems your stepfather dosed you with something. It’s almost late afternoon. I was afraid you might sleep all day.”

Bardo walks closer, and Konoe flinches away from him, but really can’t move.

“Ah—you must be dehydrated and a little hungover. Let me help you. And we can get you all cleaned up. I’ll show you around, and perhaps you can shadow me today, but I won’t expect you to work tonight. You look pretty low on energy.”

“No! Take me back! I need to go _back_! I’m expecting the—” Konoe starts, meeting surprisingly kind amber eyes. He has orange and black striped ears and tail, like a tiger. But no, Konoe is not going to say Rai’s name or title. “I have _plans_. I was supposed to start my new life this evening! He is expecting me tonight at home.” 

“Little one, even if I could do that—and I can’t, since I don’t have a carriage or a horse—we wouldn’t get there in time. If you left now, you’d arrive around 3 AM,” Bardo says kindly.

“No!” Konoe says, and he can’t keep the tears from his eyes from slipping down his face. “He was going to—he—he was—” Konoe bursts into sobs, and he can’t even cover his face, since his arms are still tied behind him.

“I’m sorry,” Bardo says. “Come here.”

Bardo takes him into a kind embrace.

“Your stepfather said he thought it would be best to get you out of the house for two years. Until then, you will be serving here with me. I won’t deny that the work is hard, but I am a kind master. I do not beat my servants for no reason. My _one_ rule is that you obey.”

Bardo unties Konoe’s legs and arms, and he starts to feel a little more like a person. The first thing he does is touch the collar on his neck. 

“Ah, yes. That’s in case you do decide to run away. It marks you as an indentured servant with a contract. You will be returned here, and you _will_ be punished, should you try to escape,” Bardo says.

Konoe looks down, embarrassed, and full of shame as well. Was Papa Leaks lying to him when he apologized last night? Tricking him?

“I’ve never seen a cat with your coloring before.”

Konoe looks up. He doesn't think his coloring is all that unusual.

“Usually, black cats also have black hair. You—you are very pale, your eyes look like honey, and your hair is actually blond,” Bardo touches Konoe’s hair.

Konoe isn’t understanding his words. However, when he uncoils his tail from around his body, he nearly jumps off the bed in fright.

It’s black! 

“Wh-wh-what is this?” Konoe asks. “What has happened to m-my fur??”

“Is something wrong?” Bardo looks at Konoe’s tail and quite boldly picks it up in his hands. “Ah—you have a crooked tail. My clientele will _love_ seeing a young, cute black cat with a crooked tail like this serving them drinks! We will become the most popular new restaurant in town, even if I don’t fill the beds of the inn.” 

He brushes his fingers through Konoe’s fur, sending a shiver through Konoe’s body.

“Stop it,” Konoe says quietly. 

“Ah, you can _feel_ in the hooked part? How sensitive!” Bardo’s voice takes on something slightlysuggestive, which makes Konoe feel uncomfortable.

But how did his fur turn dark like this? He looks _cursed_. Even if he could run away and see Rai, Rai wouldn’t want anything to do with him. Not like _this_. Fresh tears flow down his cheeks when he thinks of the silver cat’s beautiful's face, and Konoe is heartbroken.

 _Do I love Rai?_ Konoe wonders. _No, it can’t be that. He was only being kind to me. I just wanted to be with him because he showed me such kindness._

Konoe grabs his tail from Bardo, yanking it from his fingers, giving him a sharp look. “Will this be part of my duties here?”

“What?”

“Being felt up whenever you want?”

Bardo laughs. “Ah, no. Not unless you want me to, of course. Let’s get you some food and some water. Come.”

Konoe gets up to walk and crumples to his knees almost immediately.

“Ah, well. Let me help you.” Bardo sweeps him off his feet and carries him up out the door and up the stairs, ignoring his protests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you might have guessed, Leaks has other plans.
> 
> He visits Konoe in his room, offers a heartfelt apology to Konoe, and a mug of warm milk, honey and lavender, which sends Konoe into a deep slumber. It's actually a cursed sleeping potion.
> 
> Konoe wakes up partway through the night, thinking he is dreaming, in the back of a carriage, restrained, gagged, and terrified.
> 
> And the next day, Konoe wakes still bound hand and foot, wearing the heavy collar of indentured servants. Turns out his new master is a large cat named Bardo, who runs an inn, and knows Leaks from years ago when he needed help. He bought Konoe's services for two years and explains that he will be helping him out for two years.
> 
> To Konoe's shock, his fur has changed color--also due to Leaks' potion. This is deliberate, since black fur indicates a cursed cat, and this way if Rai does happen to come across him, he probably won't recognize him. Cursed cats may not serve alongside royalty, after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: child labor, reference to punishment and abuse, non-consensual groping and touching.

“First, a uniform.”

Bardo offers Konoe a yukata to wear—it’s quite a traditional outfit, in fact. Bardo helps him put it on, showing him how to drape the front and the waist, folding it so it doesn’t drag on the ground, tying it securely so it doesn’t show anything he doesn’t want to show.

“When you are doing chores, tie up the sleeves with a tasuki, like this,” Bardo explains, using a wide cord that holds the sleeves of the yukata to keep them out of the way. “This way, you will stay looking neat and clean. However, don’t wear the tasuki in the dining room. Only while you are doing chores, understand?” 

For footwear, he is given a pair of geta, wood sandals with a little height. They make Konoe slightly taller, but he is worried he may trip over his own feet while wearing them. After practicing for a little while, he thinks he will be all right.

“Let’s show you around,” suggests Bardo. He’s quite a friendly cat and he seems strangely kind, Konoe thinks first and foremost—at least, he _acts_ that way. However, with his large stature, he still makes the kitten quite nervous.

“Here’s how the days go. I make the meals at the inn myself, so while I’m making and serving breakfast, I’ll need you to tidy the guest rooms. I’ve heard you have some experience with this kind of thing?” Bardo looks at Konoe directly, which he at first finds intimidating. However, this helps him determine Bardo’s seriousness. Konoe has never been treated like this before—as though he knows what he’s doing and has experience and is competent in his own right. 

“Yes, I do. I can clean up the guest rooms. Is there anything different between an inn and a home that I should be aware of, or anything you are particular about?” Konoe asks.

“I like the drinking water changed daily. Guests drink throughout the day and usually wash in the mornings. Any extra water can be disposed of in the upstairs washroom, here,” Bardo leads the way to the restroom—there is a sandpile on the door marking it as such. 

“Otherwise, everything else is the same—floors swept and cleaned, dusting, and general straightening. Plus, the sheets are changed daily in rooms housing guests, as well as opening the windows. Make sure there is enough oil for the lamps. In the winter months, assure there is enough fire in the fireplace for warmth, and I’d like you to sweep out any ashes in the fireplaces as required.” 

“I understand,” Konoe replies. Fires are his least favorite of all chores—but he will do his best.

“I usually do not require help with breakfast, and lunch is on their own. You will have plenty of laundry, bedding, and towels—the bathhouse in the back is available for your use as well.”  
  
“I see,” Konoe replies, his face lowered submissively. He follows Bardo back downstairs to the first floor. The guest rooms are currently quite tidy. He is impressed Bardo has been able to keep up the work himself. He won’t have much to catch up on, it seems—it’s at least as tidy as his home in Karou and about the same size. 

“Today, as the guest rooms are already finished, I have a few errands to run. I’d like you to tag along. Perhaps I may send you in the future, while I am cooking or otherwise occupied, to pick up supplies in my stead. You are welcome to look around town as well. You should have some time to yourself in the afternoons as well. It isn’t my intention to work you to death, understand.” Bardo looks at Konoe. “You’re just still a kitten, after all, regardless of what your stepfather told me.” 

“I worked very hard in my home, and I intend to do my best. Is there a library in this town, perhaps? Might I pick up some books to further my studies?” Konoe asks.

“That would be fine. I have a few books to return today. Perhaps we can check some out for you as well,” Bardo offers a warm smile to Konoe, and for the first time, Konoe feels he might actually not be that bad off here. “Let’s go now.”

Konoe feels his heart lift—and he follows Bardo out the front door into a sea of people—more cats than he has ever seen in his life. The city is a busy place! Bardo reaches behind him and takes Konoe’s hand.

“I’d hate to lose you in the crowd, after all, little one,” he murmurs. 

It comforts him, for some reason, since the crowd is terribly disorienting. There is a lot to see, too—stalls, merchants calling for sales, cats walking on their way—so many cats. Konoe hardly knows where to look. 

But then—Konoe sees the royal colors flash in front of his eyes. There is a group of soldiers passing through—tall, elegant, refined—all wearing black and blue. Konoe peels his eyes for Rai’s silver hair—and doesn’t see it. 

Konoe also notices the moon of light is low in the sky. Rai should be leaving his castle and will soon be heading for Karou. It breaks Konoe’s heart—to think Rai will come to his home and not find him there. What will he think, when he isn't there? Will he know that this isn’t _his_ doing? Konoe’s feet freeze for a moment and tears come to his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Bardo asks when he suddenly can’t pull his new servant forward.

“D-do you know what my stepfather has planned? T-to tell—to um, to tell the other person, the reason he sold me, I mean? Th-the one wh-who was coming for me today?” Konoe asks. He doesn’t know what, if anything, Bardo was told, after all.

“I don’t,” Bardo replies. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Actually, I _might_. He mentioned something to me about telling someone you had run away.”  
  
“What?” Konoe can’t believe it. Papa Leaks was planning to tell Rai that he _ran away_? Konoe’s feet feel glued to the ground. He feels like his toes have grown roots, and his stomach drops to the floor. “Run away?”

“Yes. He thought that would discourage him. He said he didn’t think that person was right for you. I’m sorry.” Bardo looks at Konoe, searching his face for a moment, watching him carefully—watching as grief fills his eyes. Bardo sees shock first, and _then_ grief, to be exact.

“Konoe, I need to show you something, before you do anything rash,” Bardo explains.

Despite the “roots” that seem to have grown in Konoe’s feet, Bardo lifts him up in his arms effortlessly—and no one seems to notice this on the street—their difference in size looks like a father picking up his kitten, after all—Bardo carries Konoe over his shoulder down to the next block to a large open plaza.

“Konoe, I don’t intend to frighten you. But you need to know about this, now that you’re an indentured servant. I know you are a good kitten. I can tell by the way you look and listen to me. But the look in your eye when you think of that person scares me. When I say I have only _one_ rule, I mean it. You _must_ obey me, and you must _never_ think of running away. Because it isn’t only me you would be disobeying. It would be the entire town of Ransen. Look here on the quad.” Bardo sets the kitten down, turns him around in his arms, hugging him close to his chest—which Konoe can’t help notice is quite warm and comforting.

However, when Konoe sees what is on the quad, he is struck dumb with _terror_. In the plaza are two cats—probably several years older than he is. One is being held in the stocks—his arms and head restrained—and his clothing torn to shreds. He has been beaten severely. His back is beaten bloody, almost unrecognizable. He is only standing because he is in the stocks, in fact. He is _barely_ conscious—unfortunately for him. He looks _miserable_. Konoe winces when he sees him and has to look away.

The other cat appears to be waiting. He is tied to a block—his wrists restrained above his head—waiting on his knees, in the middle of the quad. He looks miserable and afraid, and Konoe can see him trembling, even from this far away. He appears to be waiting to be punished.

“What _is_ this?” Konoe asks, although he really doesn’t have to ask.

“Those two are indentured servants,” Bardo explains. “The one in the stocks was punished for stealing from his master. The one waiting for punishment tried to escape last night and was caught. He is probably going to be whipped within an inch of his life. Kitten, you need to understand,” and here, Bardo turns Konoe’s chin up and looks right in his eyes, “it isn’t _my_ punishment you need to worry about. Do you understand what I am saying? Please, for your own sake. You are a small kitten, your body is small, and I don’t want to _ever_ see you up there. So please, _don’t_ do anything stupid. _Talk_ to me instead, all right?”

Konoe swallows thickly, truly frightened.

“Do you understand what I am saying?” Bardo asks again, amber eyes persistent. “I want to hear an answer from you.”

“Y-yes. I will do my very best not to disappoint you.”  
  
“Two years will pass very quickly. Then you will be of age. Your stepfather won’t be able to affect you then. I will do what I can to help you. I _know_ you don’t want to be here, but we can’t do anything about that now. I don’t know your whole story, but you can talk to me when you feel up to it, all right?”

Konoe feels his eyes filling with tears again. He nods.

“I just needed to warn you. Let’s visit the library first, okay, kitten?”

The library is really nice—Konoe looks around and selects a few books, and Bardo checks them out for him, along with a few for himself. Then, Konoe follows Bardo to a few stores.

His favorite store is one that is run by the son of the merchant—a young orange-haired tabby with bright blue eyes and a bright cheerful smile named Tokino. He’s thrilled to meet Konoe. He is close in age to Konoe.

“I’ve actually been to Karou, Konoe,” Tokino says. “In lieu of my father, I’ve even stocked your market. It’s amazing I’ve never actually met you in person. I’m glad to make your acquaintance. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you, now that you’re working with Bardo. He really needs the help. You know, his inn is well known for the meals—his food is fantastic. I’m sure you’ll like it there. If you ever have free time, I can show you around Ransen, too.”

Konoe is overwhelmed by his kindness, and Bardo is easygoing as well. The two of them leave with lots of supplies, and they head back to the inn. Konoe has lost his way, however—so he follows Bardo’s striped tail home.

Once they return to the inn, it’s time for Bardo to start supper.

“Why don’t you help with food prep, little one? Do you have much cooking experience?” Bardo asks. 

It goes splendidly, and the house is packed for dinner, even though they only have two guest rooms booked. Konoe works hard serving plate after plate. The food is wonderful—Bardo lets him try a little of everything they make in the kitchen, though they don’t have a chance to sit down to eat while the guests are still eating, of course.

However—while Bardo is working in the kitchen, Konoe realizes that serving meals at the inn is significantly different than serving meals at home. For one thing, Bardo offers ale, wine, and catnip liquor with dinner, and some of the guests get quite drunk. As the meal goes on, Konoe notices that several of the guests comment on his appearance—his shiny black fur and his crooked tail—and even reach out and grab it while he is carrying food.

It’s quite distracting.

At one point, it even happens in _front_ of Bardo, while Konoe is returning some dirty dishes back to the kitchen. An inebriated guest reaches out and grabs Konoe’s hooked tail, Konoe bristles his fur in shock, but remains polite, as always, and submissive. He’s just shocked and drops the dishes he is carrying.

Bardo sees the exchange, and to Konoe’s shock, manages to catch the dishes that Konoe drops. Not a single plate is broken. 

 _No ordinary innkeeper would have reflexes like that,_ Konoe thinks.

Konoe apologizes profusely. He normally isn’t that clumsy—he really was just taken off guard by the guest grabbing his tail.

Bardo tells him not to worry about it and heads out to the dining room to confront the guest, cutting him off, collecting his payment, and sending him home. However, that doesn’t prevent several other guests from handling the kitten the same way. Some even grab him in even more intimate ways—stroking his ears or his butt, for example, or pulling him into their laps, but they wisely wait till Bardo isn’t watching.

Konoe has a bad feeling about working here, and by the end of the evening, he is _exhausted_. He’s relieved when the last guest has left, and he wants to wash off the scent of the handsy guests of himself. He clears up the dishes in the dining room and asks if he might be permitted to bathe.

“This late at night?” Bardo asks.

“I just—well, the guests—there were a few who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves, and I just don’t like their scent on me,” Konoe explains, ashamed.

“Ah, I’m so sorry,” Bardo says. “I’ll keep a better eye out tomorrow. I tried today—but I didn’t do well enough for you. You go ahead, and I’ll get the kitchen. Why don’t you see me in the kitchen when you’ve finished? There are towels in the bathhouse, and here’s a robe for you to sleep in, ok?”

Konoe heads out behind the inn to the shed, which is quiet and private. The summer evening is cooler than it was during the day, but it’s still pretty warm. The water behind the shed is cool, however, and it feels good on his skin and fur. Konoe finds himself singing softly to himself—thinking of Rai—rather mournfully—wondering if Rai knows how sad he is to have missed his chance to go with him.

 _I wonder if he will find me again,_ Konoe thinks. Konoe is exhausted from today—the first day of his new life—which could have been much worse, he supposes. He washes carefully with soap, wishing that he had those clothes—or _anything_ —with the silver cat’s scent. As he sings, he can’t quite recall Rai’s scent, remembering only that it smelled good, powerful, and warm, and he misses him.

Bardo hears the kitten’s mournful singing while he’s in the kitchen—and in his previous life, before he became an innkeeper, Bardo too was a Touga, and he _recognizes_  what Konoe is. He can feel that Konoe is a Sanga. _So that’s why his stepfather sent him away._ He has never heard a Sanga sing like Konoe. He’s heard Sangas who use instruments, but not one who uses his body to make music. He wonders if the stepfather discovered his ability, and then didn’t approve of the kitten’s choice of Touga.

Bardo doesn’t know what to do since Konoe’s song sounds so heartbroken. He prepares a small dessert—a single serving of kadil—sliced kuim with a sugary syrup, garnished with mint and several small berries, especially for the young kitten. _Little ones seem fond of sweets,_ Bardo figures.

When Konoe comes in from the bath, he obediently returns to the kitchen, and Bardo has just finished.

“For you,” Bardo says, handing Konoe the plate. “I heard you singing out there.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother—”

“You didn’t. It was beautiful. Sing anytime you wish,” Bardo says. “You have a lovely voice. Come in here, sit down, and eat.”

He leads the kitten into a room off the kitchen—it’s rather cluttered with a bed, a desk, and piles and piles of books. The only place to sit, really, is the bed, since Bardo sits at the desk. 

Bardo has already decided. He’ll keep Konoe with him in his room tonight. He should not be alone or locked in the basement. He won’t touch him, but he should not be alone. Plus, he doesn’t want Konoe to be tempted to run away.

“This is really good!” Konoe says of the dessert. “What is it?”

“Kadil,” Bardo says. “It’s usually only made for special occasions, like during festivals or birthdays, but I happened to have some extra sweet syrup, and this _is_ a special occasion, welcoming you here, to the inn.”

“Ah,” Konoe is embarrassed, and he blushes. “Thank you.”

Bardo watches Konoe enjoy the dessert in silence. _What a sweet blush he has! Strange that he has such pale skin, blonde hair, and black fur—and he blushes so easily. Such odd coloring._

“Here—let me help you with your fur,” suggests Bardo.

“N-no, it’s fine,” Konoe says, stubbornly pulling away. 

“I don’t mind. Have you ever tried a brush?” Bardo ignores Konoe’s hesitation. Konoe will be staying with him from now on, so Bardo is going to get him accustomed as quickly as possible.

“A brush?” Konoe looks up at the hairbrush Bardo is holding. 

“It works wonders.” Bardo starts working it through Konoe’s hair and the fur on his ears—much to his surprise, and he is unable to resist the feeling. It feels quite good, in fact. It takes the water out of the fur and makes it fluffy and shiny, detangling it nicely. It isn’t long till he hears a soft purr from the kitten, despite his initial resistance. 

“Konoe, I really don’t want you to run off, or even be thinking about it.”

“I won’t.” A small shiver goes through the kitten. He is remembering the cats he saw punished on the plaza today.

“I still worry about it. Brash cats die young, after all,” Bardo says, moving to the kitten’s tail. Konoe flinches when Bardo brushes the tip. Is it possible the hooked part was recently broken? “Ah, I’m sorry, did that hurt you? Is this broken?”

“Um,” Konoe says reluctantly. “Yes, but it’s almost better now.”

“Is this why your stepfather wanted you to leave? Did that person do this to you?”

“ _No_!” Konoe replies immediately and sharply, but then doesn’t offer anything further.

“Ah,” Bardo says, after a small pause. “Your stepfather broke it, didn’t he?”

“Mm.”

“I see. I’m very sorry.” Bardo continues brushing the lush black fur on the kitten’s tail, gently, avoiding the tip, and he can hear a faint, relaxed purr from the kitten again. He must be exhausted. Looking at him now, Bardo watches him trying to resist grooming himself—but it’s almost a reflex. He’s so tired! It’s cute.

“Konoe, I want you to sleep in here with me.”

“What? _Why_?” Konoe’s head snaps up, suddenly afraid.

“I won’t touch you or do anything,” Bardo says. “I just—” he sighs deeply. “Seeing those cats up there being punished, I’m afraid of that being done to _you_ if you tried to escape. I could not save you from that fate if you did try to escape. Do you understand? You love the person your stepfather is trying to keep away from you, don’t you?”

“What?” Konoe looks stunned. _How the hell was he able to guess that?_

“Sometimes we do stupid things for love. And I don’t want you to do anything stupid. You need to wait. Do you understand?”  
  
“Mmm.”

“Go ahead and lie down. You’re exhausted.”

Konoe complies, facing the wall.

 _He’s such an obedient little guy,_ Bardo marvels. _He didn’t give me any fuss at all._ Bardo slips out of his work clothes and into a sleeping robe—it’s much lighter.

He crawls into bed behind Konoe, and the kitten immediately stiffens.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” Bardo says. “Just relax. Do you want to read a while before you go to sleep?”

“Ah, mm.” Konoe’s answer could be taken as either yes or no.

“I’m exhausted tonight, so I think I won’t.”  
  
“Okay,” Konoe’s voice sounds small and frightened, which saddens Bardo quite a bit. Kittens should not be afraid of their guardians.

Bardo puts out the light, and he lays in bed quietly for a moment. It’s been many years since he’s shared his bed with anyone. Especially not anyone _this_ cute.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if he just…

Bardo reaches out an arm and pulls Konoe in close to his body, and the kitten is not at _all_ relaxed. His body is completely stiff. The poor little guy needs to relax a little bit.

 _He reminds me of… So much. He’s just like he was! Gods._ Bardo’s face is right at Konoe’s oversized ears—that luscious fur is _right_ there—so clean, so plush, so soft. _It would probably help him relax if I groomed him for just a little while._

And it just kind of happens. Bardo’s tongue comes out and languidly strokes Konoe’s ear—just like he’s cleaning his own, only a little more carefully. Konoe’s ear immediately flicks down, but Bardo ignores Konoe’s response and still keeps grooming, simply moving to the outside of his ear. They are strangely large for his head—there is plenty to groom, he thinks. He continues slow, overlapping strokes, and then he moves to the other ear as well.

Konoe is thinking— _What is this? His tongue is so large—so much rougher than mine, much bigger than mine—it reminds me of Rai’s. This should be… Rai. I should be with Rai—right now, I should be with Rai._  

And the tears brimming in his eyes overflow and fall down Konoe’s cheeks. 

Because Bardo is behind Konoe, he doesn’t notice at first—until he feels a small hitch of the kitten’s breath. And he verifies it by lightly stroking his cheek with his tongue. He tastes the slightly salty tears on the kitten’s cheek.

_Poor thing. He is heartbroken._

“I’m sorry,” Bardo says. “When I agreed to take you in, I didn’t know you were so young, and I didn’t know you were in love. I will help you when you are of age. Two years will go by quickly. I promise you. Go ahead and cry if you need to.”

And the kitten does cry. He doesn’t sob, but he cries. He mourns the loss of Rai—he wasn’t sure until today—and today, he is sure he does indeed _love_ that silver cat.

For now, Konoe simply basks in the comfort of the older cat, his current owner. Perhaps he doesn’t quite trust him, but he allows his ears to be gently groomed and he cries himself to sleep, this first night of his new life. 

* * *

At moon set in Karou, there’s a knock at the door of Konoe’s birth home. Firi opens the door. His face is covered in tears—false tears, of course.

Rai is the one knocking, of course.

“Oh, your highness! I’m glad you’re here—did he leave with you last night? We’ve been so worried!” Firi asks, bowing low at the door, with his hand on his chest. “Is he already with you?”

“Konoe?” Rai asks, slightly confused.

Leaks comes to the door. “Firi, don’t be rude. Please invite our guest inside. I must apologize, your highness. My son is most upset today. Firi, please excuse yourself if you can’t be polite.”

“Oh, but I can behave—I _must_  know what happened to Konoe!” Firi whines.

“Has something happened?” Rai ducks his head as he enters the house, wiping his boots at the door. He can already tell Konoe isn’t here.

“When we rose this morning, Konoe was gone,” Leaks explains.

“Gone?” Rai says in surprise. “Had he taken anything with him?”  
  
“That’s the thing,” Leaks says, “Nothing was taken. I thought perhaps he had agreed to meet you somewhere. Is he waiting at the cabin for you? I was prepared to give you my blessing, and now, the kitten is nowhere to be seen. I wonder if he panicked?”

“I will check the cabin,” Rai says, moving back to the door. “And you say he took nothing with him?” 

“Not a thing, and he left no note. Very unlike him,” Leaks explains. “However, I should warn you—there were times in my marriage to his father that Shui would leave for a period of time, wandering into the forest for a week or so, and then he would return. He would ‘follow the song,’ he called it. But he’d let me know he would be going before he left. Since Konoe only _now_ started singing, perhaps the kitten didn’t know that’s what was happening?”

“I see,” Rai says. “I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I’ve found him, Leaks-san.”

“I thank you, Prince Rai,” Leaks bows lowly. “I apologize again for my troublesome son.”

Rai takes his leave, rushing through the forest, his nose and ears perked up, listening for Konoe’s song, alert for his scent. But the scent in the cabin is old, left from yesterday. Rai becomes quite concerned when Konoe is not there.

He retraces his steps, back to Konoe’s home, and finds—to his surprise—the marks of a carriage outside the home—but as soon as they get to the main road, he loses them.

Could his own stepfather have sent him away somewhere? He knows Konoe would never have run away.

Rai catches himself grinding his teeth. But it’s already dark outside—night has fallen. He will need to wait till tomorrow to start his search. And search he will. That little Sanga—that is _his_ Sanga. Rai will turn his country upside down to find that Sanga if he has to!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Konoe's new life with Bardo, he gets a tour of the inn. He is expected to clean the rooms, help around the inn with chores, and so forth. Bardo treats him kindly, and takes him to the library to get him reading material--however, on the way, they see two indentured servant cats who are being publicly punished (one for stealing and one for running away). Bardo says there isn't anything that he can do to protect Konoe if he disobeys him and is found out. So please obey. Konoe is frightened. However, he meets Tokino on his way home and helps Bardo with dinner.
> 
> Dinner goes pretty well, except for some unwanted touching from the guests. Several guests get drunk and grab at his tail, among other things--because Konoe is just so cute--and Bardo interferes when he sees it. When he doesn't, Konoe just gets really stressed. So he takes a bath after dinner. Bardo hears Konoe singing in the bath outside and recognizes that he's a Sanga from that song. He makes him some Kadil for a treat and then decides to keep him in his room (rather than alone in the basement, where he might think it's a good idea to run away).
> 
> Konoe loves the Kadil. Bardo offers to brush out his fur and hair with a hairbrush--which Konoe has never seen before. He is reluctant, but Bardo just does it anyway. And then Konoe freaks out when Bardo says, you're staying in here with me. Konoe is pretty upset, but he obeys, because he's a good kitty, and he's a little afraid, too. So, Bardo grooms his ears to help him relax, and that makes Konoe think of Rai, and he ends up crying himself to sleep. It makes Bardo feel bad, but he assures Konoe that he will help him when he comes of age.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not over yet--I'll be starting part II of the series next. :) This is just the last chapter of part I.

The inn is only a frightening place in the evenings, Konoe discovers. He is so busy he only has time to miss Rai in the afternoons, when he has time to himself, and Bardo does a great job of keeping the kitten busy and distracted—and also away from that plaza he saw his first day. He can’t seem to get the punished cats out of his head for weeks after he arrives.

It’s been a full month since he’s been here—and the evening dinner service is busier than ever before—the dining room is full to capacity, even during the middle of the week. Guests have started to stay overnight as well—Bardo is pleased that his cute new servant has gotten the inn some notoriety.

“A cursed cat, working at Bardo’s inn?”

“Black fur on a cat in Ransen? He’s an indentured servant?”

“He's too young to have caused the curse himself—it must be his parents who are cursed.”

“Have you actually _seen_ him or spoken to him? He is too young to have done anything to have been cursed himself.”

"He's surprisingly adorable, compliant, obedient, pleasant. He's got the sweetest face!"

Konoe hears the talk in the dining room—and among the city folk—and he sees their eyes, wandering to his jet-black fur and crooked tail. He still flinches when he sees his reflection in the water, but since he usually bathes once it’s dark outside, he doesn't usually see himself. He likes to wash the scent and the feeling of the guests’ hands from his body after the dinner rush is over and after clearing the plates from the tables.

The guests, if anything, have gotten even more hands-on since his arrival—in fact, it seems they wait till Bardo leaves to grab Konoe’s tail, or stroke his ears, or grab his ass, or even pull him into their laps. It’s overwhelming and unpleasant—but Konoe sees it as part of the job, and he doesn’t complain. Whenever Bardo sees something, he puts the guests in their place and tells them to stop. But the guests often drink more, buy more food, and tip well, so Konoe knows this brings him business. He doesn’t want to cause a scene.

Bardo allows him the small luxury of bathing after the dining room is cleaned—Bardo is glad to have help serving food as well as the marked increase in business. The kitten has been worth his weight in gold—already he has made back his purchase price, and the summer is coming to a close.

This evening, however, there’s a new guest in the dining room—sitting alone at a table—with a young attractive face—but it’s the color of his fur that is making Konoe do a double-take. It’s _silver_. And his fur long-haired, although his hair is cut short in an overgrown, shaggy style. But it _isn’t_ Rai—no matter how many times Konoe looks out of the corner of his eye. This guest _isn’t_ the prince. And he isn’t Setsuran. He is much too small, closer in height to Konoe’s new friend Tokino, in fact, only slightly taller than Konoe himself.

However—there is something strange about this guest. He _doesn’t_ smell like a cat.

Konoe is _certain_ he doesn’t smell like a cat. He has deliberately gone over to the guest’s table several times—specifically to check if there is anything he requires—and he is always kind; he does not reach out or touch Konoe in any way—however, he does watch him in an interested way. Almost as if—

 _Almost like he knows me_ , Konoe thinks.

“Do you need anything here?” Konoe asks.

“Another sake, please.” The guest has already had a lot to drink, but he doesn’t appear drunk, so Konoe adds it to his tab and fetches it for him. When he returns, the guest puts his hand on Konoe’s for a moment, making Konoe startle.

“You _aren’t_ from Ransen, are you?”

“Um, no. I’m a cat from Karou.” He didn’t intend to spill that information so easily—not to a guest he barely knows. In fact, he  _never_ actually talks about his hometown, not even to Bardo. He must know it, though, since Tokino mentioned it the first day they met. But he never speaks of home. The information simply spilled out, almost as though _he_ were the one drunk. Konoe is quite surprised and presses his lips together.

“Karou?” The silver-haired stranger asks. “I don’t know any Karou families with black fur in their lineage.” He meets Konoe’s downcast eyes directly and smiles disarmingly. “Say—do you have any open rooms? It’s getting late, and I need a place to stay for the night.”

“Of course,” Konoe says, excusing himself for the guest book. They only have one guest staying the night, so there are many available rooms. Konoe is a little uncomfortable about letting _this_ guest stay—but he can’t quite explain why. However, he brings the book to the table, along with a key.

“Please, sign your name here,” Konoe indicates. “This is your key. Your room will be at the end of the hall upstairs, on the left. Our innkeeper, Bardo, serves an excellent breakfast at nine.” 

“Thank you so much,” the silver-haired guest smiles, and he signs his name and takes the key happily. “You live here at this inn, too, don’t you?”

“Um, yes.” Konoe is slightly confused as to why that would be important for the guest to know.

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you—when you aren’t so busy.”

Konoe nods, bringing the book back to lobby. The guest signed his name as “Ginji.”

For the rest of the evening, Konoe feels Ginji’s eyes resting on him—when he looks, the silver-haired definitely-not-a-cat’s guest’s eyes do not turn away from his. He actually _smiles_ at Konoe, giving him a friendly look, even if Konoe is obviously frustrated with drunk customers. Ginji even offers a sympathetic smile on occasion—a kind of “go for it” and “do your best.” He even lifts his glass of sake to Konoe, after watching him deal with a particularly rough customer who may have been touching him inappropriately. It bothers him to be watched so closely.

Konoe is relieved, however, when Ginji retires to his room before he has cleared the evening dishes. And it isn’t until he is alone in the bath—out behind the inn—alone in the silence, still so strange on the outside of the city—looking up at the stars through the roof of the shed that needs to be replaced—that Konoe really thinks about why he got the impression that Ginji was not a cat.

He had the correct ears. They were just slightly more pointed than Konoe’s own—and much furrier. He happened to have long hair, just like—Konoe sighs sadly—just like _Rai_. Only Ginji’s ears are bigger. Perhaps if Rai and Konoe had a child… 

What the hell? What is he even thinking? Konoe is a male, and he can't bear children. Plus, he’d probably never see the prince again. These are useless, pointless thoughts. 

And a tail—he had a tail. And wow—did he _ever_ have a tail! It was _luscious_. In the same way Rai’s tail had been tempting, Ginji’s tail was like that—never still—full and plush, long-haired, silver, and shimmering—and so beautiful. He seemed to flick it, knowing it would capture Konoe’s attention. It almost felt like he had _more than one_. Almost as though all the movement from several tails had been compressed into that one single tail. That’s what it looked like to Konoe. What a ridiculous thought.

And his scent—it was _dangerous_. He may have been small, but he did not smell like a Ribika. He smelled very good, very pleasant. But he had an altogether different scent. Almost like… a wolf? A dog? Anyway—whatever it was, it was a predator. It felt like he could _eat_ a cat. And there was something about that predator nature, even in his soft pale blue eyes—so similar to Rai’s as well—except for that wolfish feeling. Even alone in this shed, a chill shivers down Konoe’s shoulders, as if he himself might be eaten.

Ginji was dressed plainly. Thoughtfully, in a yukata—made of fine fabric, Konoe couldn’t help but notice—and he’d tipped, which Konoe also appreciated, though he wouldn’t see much of that himself. It would go toward his maintenance, as Bardo explained. He wore a slate blue cotton fabric, very fine, solid gray on the bottom—both colors enhanced the natural colors of his eyes and the overgrown hair on his head, the long pale fur growing out of his ears—Konoe wondered if it felt as silky as Rai’s—and what was this guy even doing here?  
  
What did he know of Karou? Why did he know of it? Perhaps he’d mention him to Bardo.

With those thoughts, he gathered himself together and brought himself inside.

Bardo had finished early in the kitchen—or perhaps, Konoe had gotten lost in his thoughts—and he entered into his and Bardo’s room. Bardo was already in bed, reading, and looked up instantly.

“I see you tempted a new guest to stay with us, yet again, Konoe,” Bardo always seems to use a slightly suggestive tone, no matter how Konoe thinks of it—it always sounded slightly vulgar and it makes him a little uncomfortable. 

“His name is Ginji, and he only needed a place to stay for the evening,” Konoe replies. He is feeling too tired to read this evening. “But I wanted to ask you something.”

“Eh?” Bardo has looked back to his book, but Konoe sits down on the bed next to him. It’s where he sleeps now. Bardo often grooms him before he goes to sleep—never more than his ears. It’s a habit he started when Konoe first arrived, and one that has helped him feel more like family than an indentured servant. It makes their relationship much more complicated than it actually is. It makes it very difficult for Konoe to run away, for example. 

Konoe has often wondered if this was deliberate, but he isn’t sure Bardo is quite that clever.

“Do you know anyone else from Karou, besides me?”

“No,” Bardo puts his book down. “Why’d you ask that?” 

“The guest who’s staying here—he said asked where I was from.”

“And you actually _told_ him?” Bardo doesn’t sound critical. He’s just surprised. “You _never_ tell our guests anything. In fact, I’ve heard complaints from some of our regulars that they wish you were a little more forthcoming.”

“You’ve never said anything to me!” Konoe replies—this is new information to him, after all.

“I don’t feel it’s a problem. You should reply however you like,” Bardo says. “Anyway—why did you tell him when he asked?”

“I—” Konoe thinks a moment before answering. “I don’t really know. It just kind of came out before I had a chance to think. I _didn’t_ really think. It’s like my body _wanted_ to respond.”

“Ho?” Bardo asks. “Do I have competition?”

Again that same vulgar, suggestive tone. Konoe doesn’t say anything, but he feels Bardo snake an arm around his waist.

“I’m just joking, just _joking_ ,” Bardo says. “Don’t get all serious. It’s only natural, you know. The season is approaching, after all.” 

“Season?” Then—Konoe remembers. _That_ season? The _mating_ season? The one Rai told him about? “Really? When?”

“Oh, in a few weeks now. But still, you should be thinking about it—especially with your job. I’m sorry—I try to protect you, but when I’m in the kitchen, I don’t see everything that happens. Maybe he _wasn’t_ an old man? Maybe this guest is closer to your age? Perhaps he _reminded_ you of someone?”

Konoe’s breath catches with Bardo’s observations. That must be it. He must have trusted him because he looked like Rai—his eyes and his coloring. Out of the corner of his eye, he reminded him of Rai. He couldn't stop thinking of Rai even now.

“What about him?” Bardo probes.

“He wants to talk to me tomorrow.”

“Is that so bad?” Bardo asks.

Again, Konoe can’t respond. Is it really bad? Why does Konoe feel so uneasy? 

“What’s the _worst_ that could happen?”  
  
Konoe can imagine some pretty awful things happening. Perhaps Bardo is just too easy-going. Maybe it’s easy to be easy-going when you’re as big as he is!

“Well, maybe don’t imagine the _worst_. Just tell me before you go talk to him. If you don’t want to be alone, go to a public place. It’s hard to do stuff to another person in a public place. Don’t let him corner you in his room, for example.”

“Okay,” Konoe says.

“However, if you _want_ to go to his room, let me know. Just thump your tail on the floor three times, I’ll be there in two seconds, and I’m _sure_ I can take him,” Bardo says.

Konoe can’t help but smile.

“Don’t worry so much about it. You need to rest. You’ve had a long day. Sleep now.”

Konoe climbs into bed and allows Bardo’s gentle grooming to help him drift off to sleep. 

* * *

At breakfast—Konoe peeks in and realizes that Ginji isn’t there. He gets a little nervous, and Bardo suggests he take up a tray to his room. Konoe really doesn’t want to, but he can’t deny his employer, so he waits while Bardo prepares the tray.

Konoe carefully carries it upstairs and knocks _very_ softly at the door at the end of the hall on the left, trying not to wake him. He hopes Ginji is sleeping, so Konoe doesn’t make a sound—but Ginji’s cheerful voice answers immediately. 

“Come in.”

Konoe’s ears droop slightly, and he drops his gaze to the floor. He wanders into the room as he pushes open the door just wide enough to squeeze inside—he can play the part of the servant quite easily—he knows what’s expected of him.

“My master suggested bringing breakfast to you since we didn’t see you downstairs this morning. I hope you slept well?”

Ginji looks even younger than he did the night before—strangely. Konoe could have sworn he looked like he was in his twenties—but now, he looks like he is Konoe’s own age. Could it just be the rest?

“Wonderful! It smells so good! I haven’t been to this inn for a while, but I _love_ your master’s cooking. And his taste in sake can’t be beaten. I stay here every time I visit your city,” his rather young-sounding voice states cheerfully.

 _He must be older—if he enjoys sake,_ Konoe thinks. He also remembers how much Ginji had to drink—he has to be much older than Konoe to be able to drink as much as he did.

Konoe sets the tray down on the floor, and his wrist is grabbed suddenly.

“Please, won’t you keep me company while I eat my breakfast? We are alone here, and I should very much like to know about your ears and your tail. I might be able to assist you.” 

“What? What do you mean?” Konoe is too surprised to move his hand out of Ginji’s grip. 

“I think you already know—you seemed to notice last night as well. I think I know your father. Are you Shui’s son, by any chance?”

Konoe’s jaw drops at this comment.

“Ah, so I’m right. Please, have a seat. Have you eaten? I have more than enough if you’d like to share with me.”  
  
“I-I’m fine,” Konoe stammers. He isn't sure if he should sit or not. He's too stunned. 

“First, your name is Konoe, isn’t it?” Ginji asks.

He can’t remember having introduced himself to this cat. It’s possible someone called out to him in the dining room, but last night was Wednesday, so the weekend regulars weren’t there. He couldn’t specifically remember anyone calling him by name. How did Ginji know?

“Yes, my name is Konoe.” Konoe decides to sit. He can thump his tail on the floor if he needs help. And Bardo knows he is here.

“I know Shui had a son named Konoe who should be about your age, and that he lived in _Karou_ —not in Ransen. What on earth is the son of Shui—the legendary musician, who could enchant Ribika and ayakashi alike—doing working at an inn like this? And why is your fur jet black? I’m sure Shui would have mentioned if he had required the assistance of a devil for your conception or birth.”

“It _is_ the result of a curse, then?” Konoe asks, somewhat defeated. “I woke up like this—here—one morning. I’d been… sold, I guess. I had contact with a person outside of my immediate family, and my stepfather did not approve. So the next week, when that person offered me a place and a new life—when I was supposed to be with him—I woke up here, instead—and my fur was this color.”

“Hmm,” Ginji says. “Did you drink anything or consume anything that you didn’t make yourself the night before?”

“My stepfather brought me milk and honey to help me sleep.”

“It was most likely laced with a spell, a curse.”

“How can you know this?”

“Haven’t you been able to figure this out already, Konoe-kun?” Ginji looks at him meaningfully over the top of his teacup. “I am not a cat. I’m an ayakashi. Specifically, I’m a nine-tailed fox.” 

Konoe realizes it’s rude to keep his mouth hanging open—but _that’s_ why he doesn’t smell like a cat. He smells good, of course—but he is a _fox._ He smells like a fox—and just then, Gunji’s appearance shifts slightly. His ears stay elongated like they have been, but his wildly moving tail seems to burst into a larger formation, and when Konoe blinks, he sees _nine_ tails waving in place of the single tail that was there before. 

“Are you going to eat me?” Konoe asks, almost shyly, thinking of thumping his tail on the floor to call for Bardo.

“What? No! Never. I would never eat Shui’s son. I loved your father. And when I say I _loved_ Shui,” Ginji says, “I don’t mean I just loved his music.” There’s a rather far-off look in Ginji’s eyes when he says these words. “You share some of his characteristics—you have his eyes, his mannerisms, and the way he moved his hands, Konoe. I heard your father was remarried.” 

“Yes,” Konoe confirms. He still loves Papa Leaks—despite his position here, even now—if only because he was the man his father chose. Even though he just found out that Leaks actually cursed him, and that’s why his ears and tail are black now. He can’t help his feelings. These are feelings left from his father’s genes, he supposes. Shouldn’t he hate Leaks for putting him through this hardship? Taking him away from Rai? Still—he’s been with Leaks for much longer than he’s even known Rai. While Rai was painfully kind, Leaks… was different. Shui, Father, saw something redeemable in him. Konoe has to recognize it, somehow.

“It was your father’s husband who did this to you?” Ginji asks.

Konoe doesn’t quite know how to reply. Of course, it was. Konoe is not yet of age. He couldn’t get here of his own will. Of course, Ginji would know this. But— 

“Yes,” Konoe replies. “Losing my father was painful for us in different ways. I think I reminded Papa Leaks of my father, and the way I tried to move on wasn’t helpful. I took over Father’s duties, and I think I made his grief worse. Then, we had a new addition to the household—a relative of Leaks who is close to my age—and he did what he could to be different from me. He pointed out that I am a constant reminder of my father and his absence. I think he was right. I didn’t realize. I didn’t think of his needs or realize what he might be going through. And then—there was an incident.”

“Let me guess. The newcomer set you up for a failure—in a big way—that wasn’t your fault—and made you look responsible. Am I right? And you couldn’t do it without lying or betraying yourself? But your stepfather wouldn't believe you? And he probably physically hurt you, too. And then you fortuitously met someone who helped you in your time of need?”

He’s shocked. He looks at Ginji. How did he know?

“The world repeats itself. It’s a cycle, repeating over and over. It’s how people meet, fall in love. That’s destiny at its core. Of course, it makes sense. I’m sorry for your pain, but it makes perfect sense. Have you come upon your own song yet, my child?”

 _How old is this person?_ Konoe can’t help but wonder. He must be much older than he appears. Ayakashi—spirits—don’t they live much longer than Ribika?

“How did you know Father?”

“He performed at a castle when my master was visiting. He was invited to the hidden realm. I fell in love with him when I first heard him play. You were a baby then—I wanted him to move to our realm with you—to stay with me. But he wanted you to have a normal, Ribikan life. I was devastated. He was always kind to me, of course. And romances between ayakashi and Ribika don’t usually work out well, anyway. But I could be the one taking care of you now, and the fact I have only _just_  found you shows that I have failed him.”

Konoe is shocked to hear these words. First, he looks so young. Second, he is awfully hard on himself. Third, he doesn’t even have an official connection with Shui, Konoe’s father—Shui chose Leaks.

“Ginji,” Konoe finally reaches out to grab Ginji’s hands. Konoe is slightly nervous about this since he still feels that Ginji is a predator—he is a fox after all, and now that he knows the scent, he can’t unsmell it. “I don’t think Shui expected anything from you. I’m _glad_ to know that you knew and loved my father. I’m glad to know that his music affected someone as great as you and that you would care about my well-being. I think,” Konoe pauses here for a moment, “I think I may have missed my chance. Truthfully, the person who helped me was a great person of the realm, and he must have moved on by now. I wouldn’t want him to see me like this—I could _never_ serve him like I am—if I am really cursed.”

“Why? Did he not love you? Did he not profess his love for you? Is that not the reason your stepfather sent you away? For I suspect it was painful for your stepfather to send you away from him as well.”

Konoe has never considered that. Would it be painful for Leaks for Konoe not to be around serving as a constant reminder of Shui? Wouldn’t it actually be easier for him to move on with his life, without him as a constant reminder, as Firi suggested? Konoe didn’t know.

“He may have loved me. He certainly showed me great consideration and care, but…”

“Then, there isn’t any reason I shouldn’t bring you to him now,” Ginji says. “I do not care for such things as contracts or masters in the living world. They do not matter to me. I will bring you to him now if you wish. I’m sure that’s what your father would want for you.”

“Perhaps,” Konoe says. “But—I am a Sanga.”

“A Sanga?” Ginjii's ears perk up and twitch, just like a cat’s. Actually—slightly different than a cat’s. More clever than a cat’s, more wickedly, if such a thing can be imagined. “There hasn’t been a Sanga in over 100 years.” Ginji meets Konoe’s eyes, but Konoe does not break eye contact.

“I did not believe it either. However, Rai—the person I was going to serve—is a Touga, and he confirmed it.”

“Did you say, _Rai_ —as in, _Prince Rai_?” Ginji asks. “You met the _prince_? You _happened_ to meet the _prince_ during your time of need?”

“Yes—he found me bathing in the river.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ginji puts his hand on the bridge of his nose. “There’s no _way_ this isn’t destiny at work. She works _just_ like that, don’t you understand? You _must_ go to him! Please, let me help you!”

“But wait—as a Sanga—don’t I have to be pure of heart to sing? I can’t _be_ a cursed cat—especially not to serve to the realm. I cannot ask the prince to take me on as I am. Unless you can cure this curse, I cannot show myself to him.”

“Don’t you think you should let him decide?” Gunji asks.

“Yes—you may be right. But if he says no—I don’t know what I’d do!” Konoe says. “I would have nothing! I’d be alone. So I should try to find a cure first—and then find him! It was my own stepfather who cursed me. I should be able to find a cure.”

“Perhaps,” Ginji says, “however, family curses are often the hardest to break.”

Konoe doesn’t respond, but he has tears shining in his eyes. He knows he can’t bring himself to the prince now—he can’t throw himself on Rai’s mercy—showing himself like this. What would he say? "Be my Touga or choose your kingdom?" What kind of choice is that? He could never ask such a thing from Rai. He needs to do something for himself.

“If I could _prove_ myself a worthy Sanga—a worthy partner for the prince—then perhaps I could offer myself as a partner—and then, if he accepted me for what I was, I’m sure Papa Leaks would rescind the curse at that point.”

“You sure think a lot of this stepfather of yours,” Ginji says. “I’m no expert on curses, but I do know a lot of ayakashi in the hidden realm. Why don’t you let me send you some help?”

“Would you?” Konoe’s ears twitch.

“They will be your fairy godparents, so to speak, in my stead, as I can’t help you with the curse. I’ll send them as soon as I find someone who can help.”

“That would be great!”

“However—I should warn you—ayakashi often desire something in return for their services. They don’t perform for free. You should determine what their fees are in advance. While they always do what they say they can just be _certain_  it’s worth the price you have to pay. Sometimes it isn’t, all right?” Ginji’s warning sounds rather severe. Konoe can’t imagine his father traveling to the hidden realm to have performed here, among people like this. 

“Thank you,” Konoe is grateful to have any help at all, however.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do for Shui’s son,” Ginji says. “Unless, of course, you’d consider coming back with me.”

“What? Why?”

“Well. There are some similarities. You’re quite young, still, Konoe, of course, but if you sing—I think—we can make it work.”

“Make what work?” Konoe watches the nine tails move with rather more fascination than he’d care to admit. 

“You do remind me of your father—rather a lot as far as your attention span goes,” Ginji says, a slight smile on his face. “I think we might get along well together.”

“Ah—no. But thank you. My heart—it’s already spoken for. I’m sorry,” Konoe is honest and heartfelt in his words, and he meets Ginji’s eyes—glancing only occasionally to that tempting tail when he speaks. 

“All right. I thought I should offer. You are awfully attractive in your own right. The prince was an idiot for not stealing you away when he had the chance. Are you sure—”

“No,” insists the kitten. “I’m afraid he might do something rash and choose a cursed cat when it might not be the best for his kingdom. Please, help me lift this curse or prove my worth another way.” 

 _Stubborn cat_ , thinks Ginji. _Just like his father._

“Such a delicious breakfast,” Ginji says, fluffing all his tails out fully behind him, to Konoe’s delight. Ginji can see that the kitten would _love_ to pounce on them. Ginji knows that Prince Rai is actually similar in coloring to him, so that explains the kitten’s strange interactions with him in the dining room last night. He considers pressing him, but he is so young. There is still plenty of time for that. Despite those black ears, he has such a sweet, innocent face. He’s adorable. Ginji would feel bad if anything happened. 

Plus, even though he hasn’t really seen much of Bardo this trip, he has a feeling the innkeeper probably has a strong feeling about Konoe as well. Who wouldn’t?

“Please send my compliments to the chef for the breakfast—and dinner last night. I’ll be sure to stay here again next time I’m in town. But even before that—expect to meet some referrals of mine. They will identify themselves to you, Konoe, as your ‘fairy godmother,’ all right?”

“Thank you,” Konoe bows respectfully. And before he leaves, he bows one more time. “Thank you so much for loving my father and for sharing that with me. I love hearing about him. I miss him so much. I’m sorry he didn’t choose you. I think I would have if I were him. I’m to sure that doesn’t mean anything at this point, but I think you are wonderful. I’m so sorry if it was my fault that he didn’t choose you.” Ginji can almost taste Konoe’s tears when he says those words. Not many people talk to him of Shui. It’s a forbidden topic, it seems.

Ginji allows himself to reach out and stroke those shiny black ears—and they are surprisingly  _soft_. Even softer than they look, they feel like silk beneath his fingers, even softer than his own long-haired fur, even softer than his softest downy fur. He can’t believe it.

When he touches it—he can’t help it—he can’t help imagining what it would feel like under his tongue, and he is suddenly aware that his body is right in front of the kitten, and he grabs the kitten’s bowed head, and he has perfect access to the perfectly soft, silky ears—like he always wanted to do to Shui. Instead of worrying about feeling regret later—even if it makes the kitten slightly uncomfortable—the fox traps the kitten’s head in his hands firmly, but not roughly, and grooms his ears without hesitation—both of them.

The way a fox grooms is a little different from a cat, if only because the shape of his tongue is different. The touch sends shivers down the kitten’s spine. At first, Ginji thinks perhaps he hasn’t been touched like this before, but then he realizes he has, and Konoe was only surprised. Perhaps this is a regular occurrence. The thought that the innkeeper grooms these precious ears each night fills Ginji with extreme jealousy—but only at first and not enough to interfere with his own intimate moment. He wants to enjoy this moment for what it’s worth and not have any regrets later.

Long, gentle strokes of his tongue—bigger and softer than a cat’s, and much wetter, too—much like a dog’s, so it wets the downy fur on the insides of the kitten’s ears much more thoroughly than he is used to. Also, it will leave his scent much better, so the innkeeper will definitely notice the next time he grooms him, even if Konoe bathes. Of that, Ginji is sure. He is sure to pay careful attention to the soft fur on the inside of Konoe’s ears—usually, it is white if it has this texture, but Konoe’s is jet-black. Briefly, Ginji wonders what color his fur was originally, but he doesn’t really care. He thinks it was probably white—at least the inner ear was white—it is equally delicate and silky—and it’s odd that it’s black. It’s absolutely tantalizing.

Ginji doesn’t say so, but if the kitten’s precious prince ever groomed his original fur and then got a chance to groom his black fur—he would _indeed_ give up his kingdom for this kitten. And Ginji has only ever heard his _father_ sing. He’s sure Konoe is probably at least a decent Sanga, and he’s sure the prince is hungry for power—but that _isn’t_ why the prince would give up his kingdom. He’s sure he’d give it up just for the sake of the soft fur on the inside of these ears. No one else should _ever_ be able to groom that—and right now, the innkeeper is probably doing that on a _daily_ basis! Konoe’s prince would _die_ of jealousy—that is, if he really loves this pure-hearted kitten.

Ginji realizes that Konoe is actually _submitting_ to the grooming—he isn’t fighting him, he isn’t struggling. Ginji was planning to groom him either way—a struggling kitten wouldn’t be hard for him to overpower, of course—not with his years and experience. However—why isn’t he struggling?  
  
In Konoe’s mind, Konoe is thinking— _what if Ginji is doing this to me because he didn't do this to my father when he had the chance? I have to do the right thing and make things right—for this ayakashi, who has said he will help me._

He doesn’t know it, but that’s exactly what’s happening. And Konoe’s submitting to the touch is calming Ginji’s heart—in more ways than one. Ayakashi can live for thousands of years, though Gingi is young, a mere 100 years or so. Still, much older than Konoe or Shui. Konoe has done the right thing—and in this case, his pure heart has led him to make the right decision.

And it feels weird—but it doesn’t feel bad. He lets Bardo groom him for his own comfort. This—this _isn’t_ comfort. This is different. This feels like what _might_ have been, and it’s _heartbreaking_. It makes him think he _should_ have dared to kiss Rai, he should have _touched_ him more, he should have spent _more_ time with him, and tears leak from his eyes. But he stays still—as still as he can with a weird wet tongue in his ears, anyway—and he puts up with it, thinking of his father’s heartbreak, how he as a child must have weighed him down, and he tries to push the thoughts of Rai from his mind. What would it have been like to have Ginji as a stepfather? He probably would have loved him, been much more demonstrative at least, than Leaks. But Shui chose Leaks for some reason, and that is what Konoe has to remember.

When Ginji finally pulls his mouth away, Konoe dares to ask—his ears have been assaulted, after all—“Were you and Father ever lovers?”

Ginji tips his chin up to meet Konoe’s gaze. “Not in the way I would have liked. I wanted to be. For Ayakashi—time moves so much more slowly than for you, so we take our time. I thought I _had_ time—even after your father married, I thought I had time. In fact, I thought I had _more_ time, perhaps as a _just_ lover—he wouldn’t have had to move you to the hidden realm. But I never saw him after he married your stepfather. I think he really loved him—enough so he avoided me, at least.” 

“I know he did,” Konoe agrees. “I’m still trying to figure out exactly what he saw in him—but there was something special. It isn’t that I ever disliked my stepfather when Father was alive. I didn’t—I loved him very much. But after Father died—we just didn’t have anything in common. Or what we had in common was way too awkward.”

“Yes, I can see that,” Ginji says. “You are very, _very_ like your father, even if you don’t see it. It’s a little unnerving. If I were your stepfather, I wouldn’t know what to do myself. Your father—he was a very special person. You have that specialness, too, Konoe. It’s coming into blossom.”

Konoe doesn’t know how to respond to such a compliment—he believes this about his father, that he was special—but there’s no way he can believe that it's true about him. He lowers his head.

Ginji drops a kiss on the tip of that luscious black ear, which twitches slightly. It should be easy to find ayakashi willing to help this kitten, he thinks. “You take care of yourself, all right? I may see you when I check out this afternoon, but you’re usually off then, aren’t you?”

“Thank you.”

Konoe takes the breakfast tray and leaves the room. Once he closes the door behind him, he gives his head a good shake—shaking the moisture out of his ears. There was a _lot_ of moisture in that tongue. He wonders—was that really worth it? Probably, for all he’s learned about his father. Now—he needs to decide what to tell Bardo. He’s been gone for quite a while, and he still has a mountain of work ahead of him this morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes--chapter 10 came so soon!
> 
> So--a month goes by quickly, and Konoe is getting used to his new life. All except for the handsy guests in the dining room. Business is booming, however.
> 
> One evening, a new guest arrives--a kind, miniature version of Rai, in fact. Not Setsuran, however, but with pale skin and fur, shorter hair on his head, but long silver fur everywhere else, and pale blue eyes. He seems to watch Konoe like he knows him, too. Also--there is something not-cat-like about him, but he is very nice and friendly and asks to stay the night as a guest at the inn.
> 
> Konoe gets him a room, upset that he accidentally told him he is from Karou. He speaks to Bardo about him, who is pleased they have company. Bardo teases him a little--mating season is coming up, after all, in a few weeks, and Bardo suggests that perhaps Konoe was reminded of someone else, and that's why he finds this person interesting. Don't be scared, go talk to him--just let Bardo know before he goes, or go somewhere public.
> 
> The next morning, the guest (Ginji, according to the guestbook) isn't at breakfast, so Bardo "helpfully" makes a tray for Konoe to bring upstairs. Ginji answers the door, much to Konoe's dismay and anxiety, and asks him to stay, so he might tell him about his black fur.
> 
> This surprises Konoe, of course. Ginji says, well, there aren't any black-haired cats in Karou and by the way, aren't you Shui's son?
> 
> Konoe decided to stay and talk after that.
> 
> Ginji isn't a cat. He's an ayakashi--a spirit--a nine-tailed fox, in fact--from the hidden realm, who saw his father play once there, in the hidden realm, when Konoe was a baby. He confesses he also loved Shui and asked him to live with him, but Shui wanted Konoe to have a normal life.
> 
> Konoe shares his story, and Ginji says his fur likely turned black from a curse (thanks Papa Leaks) and offers to take him to see Rai. Konoe doesn't share who Rai is but eventually does, explaining that he would hate to have Rai have to choose between him (a cursed Sanga) and his kingdom. He'd rather either lift the curse or prove himself worthy first, and then Leaks would presumably lift the curse.
> 
> Ginji offers to send help from the hidden realm since curses aren't his specialty. Konoe is grateful. Then, Ginji asks if Konoe wouldn't rather come to the hidden realm with Ginji himself, presumably as a lover, or as an eventual lover. Konoe is flattered, but says his heart is still spoken for--but he does rather like Ginji's real tail--which Ginji displays proudly.
> 
> Ginji grooms Konoe's ears before letting Konoe get back to work since he regrets never touching Shui. He doesn't want to have any more regrets--and Konoe lets him, figuring that is what this is about. Foxes tongues and cat tongues are different--mainly in saliva (at least in Sisa--this is not science, people, and I thought it would be cute).
> 
> Anyway, that's where part I ends.
> 
> If you have watched Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, you *might* recognize Ginji from there. :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Spankings, Strappings and Paddlings--Oh My! (collected works)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16168838) by [SonicoSenpai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicoSenpai/pseuds/SonicoSenpai)




End file.
